Never Ending Bonds
by RomanceAnimeLove28
Summary: It hasn't been too long since Aira claimed the title of Prism Queen and already 3 new girls want to challenge MARs! Since the beginning they've wanted to beat MARs with a bit of revenge sealed off in their hearts. What could Mion, Aira or Rizumu have done to deserve revenge? And to make things worse, our 3 new trainees have their hearts set on a certain boy band...
1. Battle Me!

**Hello Minaa! ~ It's Ome Chan again! This time I'm trying my hand in a topic that is deep yet very exciting! For the people that liked my previous Pretty Rhythm Fanfictions, I hope you like this one too (and possibly review more~)!**

**Note: This story also takes place when MARs was 15!**

**Rizumu: Nee Amy! Hurry and start the story! You told me Hibiki and me have lead roles! I wanna know… *Starts daydreaming of scenes between the almost official couple***

**Ome: Kora! I told you to call me Ome, Rizumu! And just what are you fantasizing about…? *gives her the mischievous smile***

**Mion: Mou you 2! If you don't stop this nonsense, the story won't start!**

**Aira: Really you 2 love to play around so much!**

**Callings: Honto ni ne~ *nodding their heads***

**MARs: *suddenly got quiet***

**Ome: Oi! Don't suddenly get embarrassed on me! What's there to be nervous about? Callings is-**

**MARs: *slaps her mouth shut* Let's start the story shall we? Ome san does not own Pretty Rhythm or anything besides the 6 characters she made up.**

**Ome: Hou du yui no dat?! ****(Translation- How do you know that?!)**

**Callings: Enjoy and review for us ok? *idol wink***

**Ome: Kora! Stop the trade tricks Callings!**

"_I will bring you down Harune Aira! Just you watch!"_ A girl with brunette colored hair and green eyes stepped in front of Pretty Top. Her side ponytail with a green bow swayed in the breeze.

"Chotto! Mii! You can't just barge in!" A foreign girl appeared next to her. She had medium-length blonde hair (like any typical foreigner from Paris) and red eyes. She twirled her slightly curly hair with matching red bows on each side, with her right index finger.

"Who cares? Let's just force our way in! We'll still get in one way or another." This girl had flowing long blue hair with a ribbon resembling a headband on the right side of her hair. Her gold eyes were set on her target. All 3 of these teenage girls ran to the entrance despite the fact that there were security guards blocking their way. When the girls tried to go in, the security guards fought with them enough to make them have to hold their heads to prevent them from getting in. A group of boys passed by and saw the giant commotion.

"Let me in!"

"Intruders are not allowed!"

"I am not an intruder! I'm going to beat Harune Aira!"

"I will show Amamiya Rizumu that I'm better than her!"

"Takamine Mion is no match for moi! Who do you think you're talking to?!" Callings laughed at their remarks and decided to help the noisy girls.

"What's going on here?" All 3 boys said simultaneously. They acted like they were surprised to cover up the urge to laugh. After all the brunette hair colored girl was biting one of the security guard's arms, the blonde one was yelling at the top of her lungs and the blue haired was moving her arms in circles hitting the guard despite him having a grip on her head.

"Uh Callings san! These girls aren't students to Pretty Top so we aren't letting them in but…" Their expressions changed when they talked to Callings but they went back to glaring when the turned to the girls.

"That won't be necessary now because they came to see President." The male guards released their grip on the 3 girls and stepped back afterward. The girls fell to their knees from relief.

"Are you ok?" Shou extended his hand to the girl with her sights set on beating Aira.

"Yes I'm totally fine." She said taking his hand without knowing who he was. Once she got a good look at his face, she blushed tomato red.

"Um… You…" Her words weren't coming out as he just smiled at her.

"You ok?" Wataru peered down at the French girl rubbing the back of her head.

"Je vais bien. Merci." She took his hand as he lifted her up.

"C'est bien." Wataru said smiling as she blushed when she saw his face. Her eyes sparkled as they stood together. Wataru was looking up like a scatterbrain while she was looking at him with hearts in her eyes.

"Let me help you up." Hibiki said as he bent down and held out his palm.

"It's ok. I can get up myself." The blue haired girl got up and turned pink when she saw Hibiki's face.

"Well then, shall we go?" The boys grabbed the girls' wrists and starting running.

"Where?!"

"It's obvious isn't it?" They stopped in front of a room where the boys winked and signaled the girls to look inside. Callings smiled when they saw MARs working hard. When the girls saw MARs practicing, they unconsciously stepped inside the room.

"Ah! Harune Aira! Found you!"

"Amamiya Rizumu and Takamine Mion too!"

"Who are you girls? How'd you guys get in?" Mion questioned.

"O-of course we came through the entrance!"

"Janakute. How'd you guys get in? You guys aren't students of Pretty Top are you?" Mion sure was sharp.

"W-we got in and that's all that matters right? Now battle us MARs!" They all pointed at the idol group who couldn't help but just stare.

"Hold up!" Callings intervened.

"Callings… You did it didn't you…?" Mion and Rizumu both said while Aira was trying to calm them down.

"We're found out so quickly?" They all innocently rubbed the back of their heads.

"You people… Really…" They all went into the president's office.

"So…" Asechi Shachou said as she faced the 3 new girls, "What did you guys come here for?"

"To beat MARs!"

"Oi. Stop the jokes. How exactly would you 3 be able to beat MARs? Have you guys even done a prism show before?"

"O-of course we have!" The 3 girls said unsure.

"Ma ma, Shachou. Let's let them introduce themselves shall we?" Aira said.

"I am Yamanishi Mii, 15 years old! And I've come to beat Harune Aira! Now let's battle!" She was making a fighting pose.

"Jotto. Aira is a Prism Star not a martial arts master." Mion said to Aira's rescue.

"Then we'll take this to the rink! Come on Harune Aira!"

"Attendre! Mii, I haven't introduced myself!" She turned around to Wataru who looked at her confusingly. "I am Kiri Adams, age 16! I'm so happy to meet you!" She went over and clinged to Wataru's arm. He just stood there shyly rubbing his head.

**Ome: Maybe it's his first time being close to a girl that really likes him?** ***shrugs***

**Wataru: Hey!**

**Ome: Sorry for interrupting…**

"Hun…" Mion smirked at them. Then she remembered what she just said. "You're the same age as me?!"

"Yes and anything wrong?"

"Never mind." It was going to be hard to get Mion to believe that these girls were her age.

"Then I'm last! I'm Yukimura Rie, 15 years old! I won't lose to anyone and plan to beat you, Amamiya Rizumu!"

"Nani yo?!" Rizumu gave her a mutual glare.

"I won't let you beat me Harune Aira!" She glanced back at Shou and smiled.

"Calm down Mii san. I'm sure we can work this out some way or another…" Mii was shouting for Aira to compete against her while Aira was trying to stop her determination. Rizumu and Rie were also starting to fight as Rie went and hid behind Hibiki.

"What are you doing?!" Rizumu was obviously mad at Rie's affection toward Hibiki.

"Exactly what it looks like!" She stuck her tongue out making Rizumu even more furious.

"You are no match for moi, Takamine Mion! Let me show you what real beauty and grace is!" Mion snapped as the angry vein showed up on her head.

"Are you implying that you're better than me?"

"But aren't I? Look at me! Aren't I just perfect?~"

"Hah? You have one strange personality you know…"

"What'd you say?" She clinged to Wataru and complained to him. "She called me strange! Prince!"

"Prince? Wataru ga?" Mion couldn't believe it.

"Oh yeah! Even though we've been together for over an hour, we don't know your names." The new girls looked at Callings.

"Uso! You've never heard of Callings?!"

"They're the most popular boy band in Japan!" The boys shrugged.

"I'm Miyamoto Shou, 17 years old. Nice to meet you Mii." She blushed as Aira glanced over at them. She looked away quickly without anyone noticing besides Jun.

"I'm Toudou Hibiki, 17 years old as well. Let's get along ok, Rie san?"

"Hai!" She smiled at him as Rizumu looked at them. She didn't like the feeling she had.

"And I'm the last member of Callings, Hyuuga Wataru, 17 as well! Yoroshiku Kiri Chan!"

"Ah! Same here!" Mion looked away because somehow she didn't want to see the scene.

"How did it become like this? Aira became Prism Queen only a month ago…" The president rubbed her head as she thought of what she could do. The noise around her was annoying her.

"It'll be a long road for them Shachou." Jun said having a sparkling aura around him.

"Jun san! Suteki!" Mion said as she was infatuated with him. She forgot about Wataru and Kiri and had stars in her eyes as Jun talked nonstop about riddles he thought of on the spot.

"Ok! I've decided! For the sake of the fans' happiness (and more money), you 3 girls will be training here at Pretty Top!"

"Yay! Now we can beat MARs! Just you wait!" The 3 energetic girls were set on beating Pretty Top's best group and getting one more thing (_it's pretty obvious by now right?)_.

"Mou! How did all this happen?!" MARs said together. The girls tried to cover their uneasiness by arguing with the new trainees of the academy. Callings just smiled in the background.

"This is seriously getting interesting…" The boys said together looking at the bickering sides.

**So everyone- What do you think of the storyline so far? Review and PM me! I hope to** **see many comments! *And also… It gets more dramatic from here! :D**

_**~~~~~~~~Life is all about battles~ But what kind of challenges await you?~~~~~~~**_


	2. Debut

"Did you see that? I got the steps all right this time Hibiki!" Rie waved to Hibiki watching from afar.

"Let's keep up this pace!" Mii said full of energy to practice.

"Don't practice so much or else you won't be able to perform the real show!" Shou shouted from the balcony.

"Hai Shou san!"

"Je suis parfaite!"

"Keep up the good work!" Wataru called. All 3 trainees smiled as Callings was encouraging them. MARs on the other side looked very gloomy and at the same time angry.

"What's Hibiki doing?" Rizumu pouted as she looked at a blissful Rie.

"Why's Wataru encouraging HER? And what's with 'I'm perfect'?" Mion was pretty mad with the happy scene between Kiri and Wataru. She doesn't even know why.

"Ah… It's nice isn't it… To get encouragement from Shou-san 2 days in a row…" Aira looked so gloomy as she hid behind the rink's crystal wall. Rizumu and Mion shook their heads.

"No! I can't think like this! We are all just friends!" Rizumu continued trying to get rid of her angry emotions by shaking her head more.

"Why am I thinking like this?! Why do I keep looking over at them? I can't do this! Romance between idols is forbidden! And the one I like is Jun san!" Rizumu eventually became dizzy from all the shaking and started falling over because she couldn't stop.

"Rizumu Chan/Rizumu!" Mion and Aira both grabbed her back but fell down with her anyway because they carelessly slipped too. They attracted everyone in the room's gaze.

"Ah-ha! It was just a slight miss!" MARs all laughed unusually.

"_What's wrong with us today?" _The famous girl group thought to themselves.

"With that attitude, how did they become finalists in the Prism Queen Cup?" They stopped practicing and eyed their upperclassmen. The 3 Prism Stars felt awkward and decided to go out for some fresh air.

"Here, these are your music sheets. For your debut performance you 3 will be doing You May Dream all together so you'll all need to practice together. Got it?"

"Hai!"

"We're going to end lessons for us today but you 3 can keep going." Before they could reply, the girl idol group skated off the rink and walked out of the room. Callings thought it was weird since they all looked so serious and down.

"They've never skipped out on lessons have they?"

"I wonder what's wrong?" In the end, Callings decided they didn't want to leave the 3 new amateurs alone to practice so they stayed and watched.

**~2 days later~**

"Mii! Rie! Kiri! Hurry and get ready to go on stage!" They were actually hiding behind a giant crate because they suddenly got stage fright.

"I'm scared of dancing in front of so many people now! What am I going to do?" Mii whined. She was wearing a spaghetti strap light green tank-top with frills around the top area with the same color skirt and boots that went up to her knees.

"Why do I get so scared now? And I was going to show Hibiki that I am better than Amamiya Rizumu…" Rie was wearing a yellow one-piece dress with frills on the bottom and buttons coming down to her waist. She wore white sandals to match.

"I'm better than Takamine Mion! So why?" Kiri was wearing a red top that resembled Mion's with a skirt with many layers and red boots that went up to her knees. Everyone searched for them until the girls and Callings found them teary eyed behind a crate of papers.

"What's wrong?" The girls reached to pull them up.

"No!"

"Huh?"

"We can't go onto the stage with these faces… We're so scared of what'll happen… What if all those fans laugh and make fun of us…" MARs smiled.

"Ah… It was only that?" Rizumu stood up.

"Only that?! It's-"

"We know how you feel… It gets terrifying doesn't it? When you think you won't give a great performance and make the audience mock you. Picturing how they react can be scary and we know." Aira calmly said.

"And if it gets so bad that you need to hide to get out of it, Aira here is a perfect example."

"Eh?" Aira was already confused by what Mion said.

"You should know; This Prism Queen of ours actually locked herself in a room for 2 hours to get out of performing in front of her dad. It was troublesome; She kept yelling and eventually we kicked the door down and dragged her out." Aira blushed in the corner.

"Why does Aira look like she took it as a compliment?" Rizumu whispered to Mion.

"Who knows? So… Anyway there's no reason for you guys to be scared! The most important thing right now is that you 3 have fun. If you don't have doing the Prism Show you might as well quit now."

"Of course we have fun! It is something that has to be in our lives!"

"Then you should go out there and convey that to the people watching you."

"But will that message be able to reach them?"

"Of course! And not to mention you're not alone!" Aira came back into the conversation.

"You have each other. Aren't 3 people enough to not feel afraid on stage? You have each other's warmth and happiness around you. Friends performing with you is the best feeling you'll ever have in the Prism Show!" Rizumu made a thumbs-up.

"We have each other?" The new Prism Stars looked at each other. They smiled and held hands as they ran to the stage. MARs waved them good luck.

"To think you would give them such wise words of wisdom…" Callings teased MARs.

"We know how it feels after all!~" The girls all stuck out their tongues. As the performers looked back, they saw Callings with a tint of pink on each one of their left cheeks. They let that slip to the back of their minds because it didn't seem too important.

"_They must be red from the heat… MARs wouldn't do that again would they?" _The girls did get a bit scared when they saw the crowd's face when they came out. They didn't know who they were so of course they'd question their identity.

"We present Pretty Top's new debuting stars, Yamanishi Mii, Yukimura Rie and Adams Kiri! Please enjoy their first ever show!"

"Oi! Don't say first ever!" Mii called out which made the audience laugh. When they saw their senpais' smiles, they forgot of their fears and started.

**Let's dance together, go for it! Go for it!  
Do you wanna dance with me?**

**sora no iro to haru no kaori  
mazetemireba koi no yokan  
te wo nobaseba todoku kyori ni  
mirai sugu soba ni aru**

Kiri closed her eyes as she glided on the ice.

"_I can do this!" _She twirled and jumped higher and higher until she completed her first Prism Jump, Tokimeki wa Tomaranai! Mii and Rie smiled at her success and Rie went next.

**yuuki dashite MAMA no RU-JU**  
**tsuketemireba mune DOKI DOKI**  
**sukoshi senobi otona mitai**  
**PAPA ni naisho dakara ne!**

She glided in a circle around the rink before she jumped as well; This time the jump was Heart Spiral!

**ima ha mada hayai to iu kedo…**  
**gaman dekinai saa Let's, let's dance! ****Let's Dance!**

Mii was the last one and gracefully twirled in a spiral to perform her first ever jump, Unforgettable Memories! The 3 of them held hands as they bowed when a seriously noisy crowd cheered for them.

"It was a great show! Good job!" The girls passed right by MARs and went straight to Callings.

"How were we?"

"Y-you were great!"

"Honto?" They were jumping.

"Nee? Mii Chan? Why does it seem like all 3 of you are mad at us?"

"Because we are! MARs doesn't remember what they did? Even if you guys try to encourage us and make us forget!"

"Eh? But-" They really had no idea what was going on.

"And to make up for it, we'll be taking something else in return…" They looked at the boys, slyly.

"EH?!" MARs and Callings stared in surprise. What did they do that was so bad?

_**~Everyone does something bad sometime during his or her lifetime… But it doesn't mean you can't accept it and move on~ **_


	3. The Fun Has Just Begun

It's been a day since the girls declared that they would take Callings. MARs was getting more irritated with each scene they saw.

"Why is this happening to me? I feel like I want to separate them so much…" Rizumu said holding her drooping head.

"Why is my heart hurting?" Aira muttered.

"Ah! You're heart hurts Aira?!" Mion and Rizumu yelled together.

"Huh? What's wrong with that?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"You don't get it Aira?" Rizumu suddenly had glasses over her eyes.

"It means you are in L-O-V-E!" Mion teased making Aira blush like crazy.

"Eh?! No! You're wrong! I don't like him!"

"Who could be the 'he' you are talking about?" Mion and Rizumu deliberately tricked her.

"Then what about you Rizumu Chan? You and Hibiki san?"

"Eh? N-no! You're wrong! I don't have any particular feelings for him!"

"Who could you be talking about?" Hibiki appeared behind her.

"HIBIKI?!" Rizumu yelled afraid he heard their conversation. She could see an angry Rie behind him starting a fire. "Geh… Aira, Mion let's start practicing shall we?" She pulled them both along and onto the ice.

"Chotto! Rizumu! Why are you suddenly acting this way?" Mion asked.

"Because I'm going to be glared at for the rest of this week by a certain someone if I don't get away from him. And besides, Mion, we haven't talked about you yet. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Who do you have 'special feelings' for?" She blushed.

"Wataru san?" Aira asked. Mion's eyebrow was twitching as she looked back at him.

"No way! I like Jun san!"

"Oh… Older guys huh?"

"Can we just start our lessons?"

"Hai!" They got ready as the rest of the people started watching them. The girls got out their Batopons.

"Aira! Twist it the other way!"

"Hai!"

"Aira! Follow the rhythm! We're going to try the Triple Cross Jump again!" The girls all jump higher until they completed their original Hip Hop Win! Jump.

"Let's do the entire song over again now!" Mion yelled.

"Un!" Aira and Rizumu agreed.

"She learned it so fast…?" Mii said surprised at Aira's skill.

"We're going to get one amazing show from them." Shou said as Hibiki and Wataru nodded. The girls looked at them wondering how they knew. The boys smiled like they never saw before, as if they admired and really liked them.

**Saa! Kore kara hajimaru Tsugi no tobira e **

Glittering Star Aura filled the rink.

**Hop! Step! Jump! Takaku kake nukete yukou**

Mion and Aira jumped together and performed Poppin' Candy Rocket Duet. Rizumu came right behind and performed her Stardust Shower Perfect.

**Nee! Donna toki demo One! Two! Three!**  
**Minna de Smile! ****Smile! Smile!**  
**Egao wasurezu ni iyou**

**Nadeshiko no Hana kotoba wo Mune ni himete**  
**Daitan ni yuukan ni**  
**Soh! ****Massugu ni ikite yukou**

"Did they change the dance moves a bit?" The girls watching inquired.

"Always trying out new things is MARs' style." Callings laughed.

"Nee, Callings, why do you always look so happy when they're involved?" They covered their mouths.

"No reason…" They looked away. The girls were suspicious but decided to hold it off until the end of the performance.

**Akogare dake ja Yume de owaru yo**  
**Move on! Aserazu susumou**  
**Akiramenaide Jibun shinjite**  
**Hora! Ue muite**  
**Moh! Furi mukanaide Zutto! **

Mion skated from the right to the middle, Rizumu skated from the left and Aira came behind them as they completed their own trio jump, Doki Doki Halloween Night! As they took a break, Callings got out of their seats and skated over to the girls.

"Rizumu, close your eyes." Hibiki was holding a towel behind her. She was getting embarrassed thinking of what he was going to do. He put the towel on her head and pulled it down completing his prank. "You fell for it!" He burst out laughing.

"Chotto! Hibiki! What'd you do that for?"

"Because you seemed uneasy. I didn't see your smile during that performance."

"Ah… So that was what was missing…"

"What's wrong Rizumu?"

"Nothing! For some reason, I feel better now! It must be because of you Hibiki!" He blushed and looked away as Rizumu was trying to figure out what's going on with him.

"Mou! Rizumu Chan! You're so honest!" She turned around to see a grinning Shou 3 centimeters away from her face. "Shou san?!" She was falling over from shock. "Gyafun!"

"Mou you are really careless Aira. You need to be more cautious." He bent down, held her hand, and lifted her up.

"Shou, how many times have I heard you say that? You'll really never stop tripping will you Aira?" Mion said. Aira quickly took her hand out of Shou's from embarrassment.

"Here Mion."

"How'd you know I wanted my towel Wataru?"

"Because you always ask for it." She looked away as he made her sound very bossy. "Don't be mad Mion. It was a slight joke."

"Mion is not mad." She said.

"You obviously are! Look at me Mion! I'm sorry!" He stepped a bit closer and when their eyes met, Mion fell over on Wataru.

"A-cha…" The 4 other upperclassmen rubbed their foreheads.

"Stop!" Mii, Rie and Kiri pulled the boys away from MARs. "We won't let you guys get close to Callings!"

"But why?"

"Because you like them right?!"

"Eh?!" The girls all went red (I mean all of them, even the girls that said it).

"You're wrong! Why would you think that?"

"Because you guys get along so well and we're…" MARs knew where they were going with this.

"Calm down. We don't like Callings. We're in no position to be in a relationship right now. We have to prepare for the upcoming tournaments." Mion said even though the nearest competition was going to be held in December a month from now.

"Then it's ok for us to like them?" Callings acted like they didn't hear that.

"If you guys become idols, relationships are forbidden especially between celebrities." Rizumu warned them.

"We don't care! We'll find a way!" They faced the boys who were twitching their eyebrows.

"And saying that Rie would like to tell you that she likes you, Hibiki."

"Kiri also really likes prince Wataru."

"I really like you Shou san!" The boys all stepped back a bit.

"Y-you're joking right?"

"No. We all like you 3 so expect us to show our affections!" They all smiled at Callings who looked behind them for a way to escape. They also faced MARs who looked gloom which caught them by surprise.

"_Mii Chan likes Shou san?" _Aira stood there wide-eyed at the sudden declaration.

"_She likes Hibiki? Then how does he feel about her…?" _Rizumu glanced at a frantic Hibiki.

"_What does it matter to me that she likes Wataru?" _Mion looked away and put her right hand on her left wrist. Callings looked guiltily at floor while the 3 girls stared at them happily and the other girls looked away not knowing how they should feel. The door slammed open and a girl with black hair that went down to the middle of her back with a hime cut grinned. The front of her hair (not her bangs) went to her shoulders. Her purple eyes shimmered in the light. She looked the same age as the girls.

"Hallo!" That was what hello sounded like when she said.

"Amy?!" Callings asked.

"Yup. I came back. So what's up with this atmosphere?" She tilted her head upward to see dark clouds over MARs and Callings' heads.

"Who are you?" Mii, Rie and Kiri all asked.

"I'm Amy. Just call me Ome. I'm a friend of Pretty Top. You must be the new girls I've been hearing about." She snickered like Asechi President would when she sees money.

"Are you also a Prism Star?"

"Well in a way yes and no. I don't do what these idols do but I do know how to jump. So don't worry Mii, you don't have anymore competition that would get in the way of your showdown with Aira."

"How do you know my name?"

"That's a secret I'll never tell…" She put a finger to her lips and her facial expression showed that she plotting something evil. Everyone shivered. "So anyway, I'll be borrowing these 3 ok? The rest of you have a good time together!" She dragged Mion, Aira and Rizumu all out the same door she came in, in 2 seconds.

"Chotto! Ome! Let goooo!" Their voices echoed back. Callings just shook their heads as the remaining girls were in the dark about what just happened.

_**~~~~~~~~Entertainment is needed… And people may provide just that~~~~~~~~**_


	4. New School, New People

"So~ Care to explain what happened?" Amy eyed all 3 of the girls slyly.

"It's none of our business to know. We shouldn't have even been there." Rizumu looked frustrated.

"But you were there and those new understudies purposely said it in front of you. You all are involved and don't try to deny it."

"Why does it hurt so much…? I've never felt this way…" Aira gripped her skirt tightly as they were all sitting at a café.

"Maybe it's your first time having a rival in love." Ome sipped her tea.

"That can't be… I don't like Shou san that way…"

"Are you still trying to deny it?" Rizumu and Mion worriedly looked her as they said it.

"But Shou san doesn't seem to think of me as anything more a friend and model for the clothes he designs… And I'd be insecure so I don't think I can be in any romantic relationship with anyone yet…"

"Aira…"

"Until you can confirm that, that is true, don't show affections for him. It could become troublesome. Now Rizumu, what kind of relationship do you want to have with Hibiki?"

"I do like him ok! But he just sees me as a good friend that he can laugh with. I do like being around him but sometimes I don't want to be just a "friend"… I'm so selfish…"

"That's not selfishness Rizumu. Don't worry you're fine just the way you are." She showed a mature smile to a Rizumu that had no idea what she was talking about.

"What could you mean by that Ome?" She put her finger on her chin as she thought of what she said.

"If you don't get it, it's ok." Ome rolled her eyes as she turned her back to the girls. "Now Mion I want to ask you. Do you think Jun is your fated koibito?"

"Of course! Why do you ask? You beg to differ don't you?"

"I've I had to be honest, then yes."

"Who could I possibly like more than Jun san?!" Aira and Rizumu turned their heads the other way to avoid Mion seeing them laugh. She thought about it herself and had the image of Wataru holding out his hand for her last Halloween. "No! He can't be-"

"What are you blushing for Mion Chan?" Ome said giving her the mischievous grin.

"You're wrong! He can't be a candidate!"

"You never know~"

"Um… Who are you guys talking about now?"

"You know who he is. After all you see him almost everyday-"

"Ah! Wataru-" Mion was on fire.

"Ma ma Mion since we haven't seen each other in a month, pick whatever you want on the menu."

"We would rather have your sweets Ome!" Aira and Rizumu shouted together.

"Calm down girls. I'll make some once we get back ok?"

"Yay!" Their attention fell on the TV nailed to the middle of the café. Pretty Top was having a press conference.

"It's probably to promote a new event we're going to do." Mion said as she drank tea from a straw.

"We, Pretty Top would like to announce our new idol unit, KIYUMI! Yamanishi Mii, Yukimura Rie and Adams Kiri will surely make you all love the Prism Show even more. So… Look forward to next week's event!" They all had their eyebrows lifted.

"Dai Jiken desu!" MARs all got up.

"Hm… What's up?" Aira and Rizumu gripped both of Ome's arms. They all counted to 3 and took off running back to Pretty Top. "What is thiiis?!" Ome yelled making the remaining people at the café turn around and look.

"Shachou!" Mion slammed the door open. The 3 girls came in with a dizzy Ome.

"Good timing girls. I just finished finalizing your transfer to-"

"We're transferring to a new agency! Oh no!" MARs all panicked as Ome was trying to regain her balance.

"There's no way that'll happen." Hibiki gently tapped Rizumu on the head as they came in with KIYUMI.

"MARs and Callings will be transferring to Mii's high school."

"Eh?! Why?!"

"It'd be easier to do idol activities and no buts, since it's already been done."

"What about Ome then?" She was still spinning.

"The world is full of squiggles~ Why?" She finally snapped out of it when Rizumu shook her nonstop for 10 seconds.

"Ome is already enrolled. She didn't mention it? She'll be transferring with you guys and she's already seen the building and the inside."

"I thought they knew already." The president and Amy smiled weakly as the rest of the teenagers just stood there.

"So anyway the class pairings are also done and mailed to us. Aira will be in the same class with Mii, Class 1-B. Mion will be in Class 1-A with Rie. And Ome and Rizumu are going to Class 1-C with Kiri. These classes are right next to each other and the smartness of the class is not in order of the alphabet. Callings will be in the second year classes. Shou is in 2-A, Wataru is in 2-B and Hibiki is in 2-D." Mii, Rie and Kiri looked like their worst nightmare was coming after them.

"What's wrong?" MARs asked.

"There are other idols in the school and it could get messy since they're a bit rebellious."

"Oh! Interesting!" Ome was the only one that said it.

"Anta ne…" The rest of the students were feeling anxiety as the day they would go to their school is none other then tomorrow.

"Oh when are they getting their uniforms? Aira would seriously love them." She casually changed the subject.

"They're getting it now. Maybe you guys should meet up in front of the school's gate tomorrow morning?"

"Hai!"

**~Tomorrow Morning~**

"Kyah! I'm late! Mou, Rizumu Chan!"

"Gomen~ I couldn't get up~"

"Chotto! Stop the nonsense and run faster! This school closes its' gates at 8!"

"Ah! It's 7:52 right now!" Rizumu glanced at her watch. The girls caught glimpse of Callings and the girls after crossing the street. Callings and MARs blushed when they saw each other. The boys were wearing a black blazer with buttons and streaks of white here and there. Their white collar shirt and red neckties were visible. Their black pants matched with the rest of the outfit and had no white streaks. Wataru was fixing his necktie, Shou was pinning on his ID pin that said 1-A and Hibiki was just talking to them with his school suitcase held on the top of his back (his pose is seen commonly throughout boy students in Japan). Rizumu had a toast sticking out of her mouth, showing she was in a hurry, Aira was panting as she stopped right in front of the gates and Mion flipped her hair.

"Aira! Hurry the gates are closing!" She got in but fell right after. Some sighed and some laughed and shrugged. Ome and Mion walked over and pulled her up. Once Callings got a good look at the girls, they reddened. Aira was wearing the V shaped red streaked uniform of Aono Gakuen. It had white sleeves with pink and a red line cuffs. There was a red handkerchief tied in the middle that resembled a regular sailor uniform's tie. There was a white clip to keep it secure. She also wore a peach colored plaid skirt with white frills on the bottom. She wore knee high white socks with a beige cardigan that was buttoned up. Mion wore the same besides no fills on the bottom of her skirt, black stockings that covered her legs and an unbuttoned beige cardigan which showed the corset going down from the chest to the waist. Rizumu didn't wear a cardigan and had black knee length socks and sneakers instead of regular brown shoes like everyone else.

"Mou! It's almost winter and it's so cold! I wonder when we can wear our coats…" Rizumu said shaking.

"I heard this school doesn't let you wear coats until you went to classes for a day. I know how you feel… It feels like you'll freeze to death!" Ome said.

"Nee?" These 2 were so alike. They laughed together.

"Shouldn't we get a move on? It's almost time for classes!" KIYUMI said as they ran in. The transfer students walked in slowly since they had to be introduced anyway. They switched their shoes and split into groups.

"As you guys have heard, we have a new transfer student to our class 1-A. Come in." Mion came in with a sparkling aura around her. Most people admired her beauty and the class got noisy because she was a celebrity. "Please introduce yourself."

"Hai. I am Takamine Mion and I hope to get along with all of you."

"Oh~ Cool Beauty~" Everyone smiled and one boy with blue layered shaggy hair with and eyes that are a lighter shade of blue than his hair came up to Mion.

"Um… What is it?" She said trying to suppress her real personality. He got a few centimeters closer before he pinched her cheeks which made everyone gasp.

"Wzat r yur doirg?!" He let go of her cheeks and grinned.

"So that's your real personality." He burst out laughing on the spot.

"Sit down Higuchi! You're being rude to our transfer student!" Mion looked like she was going to blow.

"Mou! How impudent for you to do that!" She pointed to him like a ojou-sama would. She realized where she was and froze on the spot. The class was completely quiet before erupting in laughter.

"Our idol Mion Chan is actually very normal!" She blushed.

"Chotto! Class quiet down! Takamine Mion is an idol? How come I've never heard of her?"

"You don't watch TV enough do you sensei?" This Higuchi guy teased the old teacher with glasses.

"Higuchi Jiro! I advise you to sit down this instant!"

"But it's more fun up here!~"

"Sit down!"

"Get your butt in your seat Jiro!" Rie stood up.

"Eh? Why?~" He gave her the puppy face.

"Eh ja nai!"

"You just want me to be next to you don't you?~"

"Are you kidding me?!" She threw an eraser and it hit his nose. She grumpily sat down.

"Mion Chan let's get along ok?" He rubbed his nose while he said it.

"Hmph…" Aira was standing outside with Ome and Rizumu hearing the noise.

"Woah… What's going on in there?" Rizumu asked wanting to peek.

"No peeking Rizumu." Aira smiled at Ome because she had a mature side to her. "We can always start the fun once Aira goes into her classroom." Aira fell down from shock.

"Ome! How could you?"

"But it'll be fun!"

"Our class 1-B also has a transfer student today. I think you all know her. Come in please." This teacher was a young woman. Aira walked in slowly as people started whispering and admiring her.

"I-I am Harune Aira! It's nice to meet you all… Uh…" She was fidgeting. Just like in Mion's case, a boy came up. He had Asian faux-hawk styled blonde hair with red eyes that made Aira freeze. He was looking at her like she did something wrong. He got really close to her. "Um… Did I do something wrong?" Her legs were shaking and sweat drops kept forming on her head. Ome and Rizumu were watching from the door.

"This kid… He's going to do something weird to her isn't he?" Ome said sternly looking at them.

"Ome by weird… You mean…?" They looked outside until some action happened. As they were looking outside trough the window across the door, Aira screamed which made them rush back to crowd the door.

"You're cute!" He embraced Aira with his back to the class.

"Ah! This kid is hugging Aira!" Both girls said. And he really was.

"Shou's not going to like that he has his hands wrapped around her waist."

"Kora! Ome! Just say hug! If you say that... It makes it seem like he's doing something weird and…" She was going to say something else but was too embarrassed.

"Well he is."

"Uh! Isn't it too sudden to hug a stranger?!" Aira unconsciously pushed him away. The class laughed.

"Don't do that to our transfer student Adams kun. She's frightened you know." Aira was crouching and shaking from fright. "Sorry Harune san. This guy is a foreigner so he does a lot of strange things. And by a lot I mean A LOT."

"I'm sorry Aira Harune. Are you ok?" His accent was funny and he was speaking broken Japanese. He kneeled down. She laughed as she uncovered her face. He was also happy by her reaction.

"You seem like a nice person Adams san." She gave him a slight smile. The rest of the class (besides Mii) blushed while his eyes sparkled.

"It's a yamato nadeshiko! Yay!" He lifted her up making her yell even more.

"What is he doing? Kiri isn't going to be happy about this…" Mii stood up looking at the foreigner like he was crazy.

"Woah… He's kind of scary isn't he?" Ome said to Rizumu.

"Ah!" Rizumu was pointing at them. He leaned upward and kissed her cheek.

"What is this?!" The class was having the time of their lives as the teachers just smiled and walked to the door.

"Transfer students of Class 1-C please go to your classroom."

"Hai!" They ran one door down and opened the classroom. The surprised faces of the class put the girls on the spot.

"Good timing girls! I was just introducing you 2! Give a self introduction please." This teacher was a young male with spiky hair. It was obvious girls in this class had a thing for him.

"I am Amy Zhang. I hate boring lectures so expect me to be the odd one!" She winked and made everyone laugh.

"I'm Amamiya-" A tall boy with short choppy burgundy hair and amber colored eyes stood up and started walking out. People in the class started whispering and making comments on his rebellious behavior.

"Where are you going?" The teacher asked.

"Wherever I want."

"Matsumoto sensei just leave him alone-" Rizumu charged to the back of the room and walked up to the boy that had his hand on the door.

"Chotto! You! Where are you going?"

"None of your business. You're an idol right? Don't come near me." He took a step out the door before Rizumu pulled him back.

"So what if I'm an idol? I don't want to be hated because I'm someone on TV! I want to be normal too and I'm going to act normal here!" She said with a loud voice that made the 2 other teachers poke their heads out of their classrooms. She was also grabbing his sleeve. He smirked a bit.

"And what if I just don't like idols?"

"I don't like it. Idols are also people! They want to go to school, have friends and live a good life outside of the work they do! So why? I don't want to be the sparkling person on TV that has no friends! I want to be a happy girl in school surrounded by friends and warmth!"

"But aren't most idols conceited and really annoying in real life?"

"Don't group us all together! MARs, Callings, and KIYUMI are all kind people! I know it!" Ome just stood there chuckling.

"Ok Ok. I give up. What was your name again?"

"Amamiya Rizumu! What about you?"

"Sasahara Kazuya. You know you're interesting, Amamiya Rizumu?" The entire class gasped when he smirked (some girls blushed).

"Quoi?! He's never smiled like that!" Kiri stood up.

**A/N: The uniforms for Aono Gakuen are quite similar to Lulim School's uniform! They're so cute ^o^**

_**~~~~~~~~Meeting new people can be a fun thing… At times~~~~~~~~**_


	5. Encounter

"What happened?" Ome was the only one that would go near them. Callings looked like zombies rising from a grave.

"We've been chased around all morning…"

"Oh fangirls are scary aren't they~" Ome teased.

"We're not in the mood for jokes Amy…" They looked like they were going to die any second now.

"I have a good idea! Why don't you bring these girls around with you as you're running?" She put MARs forward.

"No way! We'll go!" KIYUMI came forward too.

"They can go if they want… We have nothing to do with this!" MARs said.

"Mou! And I gave you a chance too…" She mumbled.

"What chance?!" They all settled down as it was the end of the day and people were going to clubs.

"Shou san, were you guys being chased every period?" Mii asked.

"Yes… Nonstop…"

"Oh that explains the stomping every now and then!" Kiri and Rie said together.

"Huh? I didn't notice…" Aira and Mion said.

"Probably because you were so preoccupied with Adams and what was his name- Oh! Higuchi!"

"How do you know about them!?" Aira and Mion said as Wataru and Shou's expressions darkened.

"_Who are they talking about?" _They were both worried, especially since they were freshmen boys they were talking about.

"Ya ne… It wasn't just me that saw you guys act lovey dovey with complete strangers! Right Rizumu?"

"Un…" She was blushing.

"Why are you blushing?" Mii and Rie asked her.

"B-Because those 2 got so close to Aira and Mion! If you're under 10 centimeters close when you're alone with someone of the opposite gender, it means you like them! I read that in a book!"

"Eh?" Every person there besides Rizumu had no pupils in their eyes indicating that they thought what she just said was very strange.

"It's not that bad Rizumu! That shaggy haired boy only pinched Mion's cheeks after being about 3 centimeters away from her face! And the Adams guy only hugged Aira after being 2 centimeters from her face! It's not a big deal!" Ome waved it off like it really wasn't anything.

"_How can you say that…? I think it's a pretty big deal actually…" _Everyone except Shou and Wataru were thinking that.

"To think he did that to Mion when he just met her… I want to meet this Higuchi guy…" A Wataru no one has ever seen appeared. He had a killing aura around him. Shou joined in.

"And this foreigner… How does he hug Aira…?" They were in their own world.

"Hm… Adams? Mii!" Mii got scared when Kiri rose up behind her.

"Sorry Kiri! I forgot to mention that your bro was the one that… hugged… Harune Aira?"

"Onii sama… I've told you time after time…"

"It's ok Kiri Chan! I'm sure it was just his way of greeting…" Aira blushed which made Shou glance at her.

"_It can't be… Aira's already fallen in love?!" _

"Aira did you fall for him?"

"No! I was just surprised! Maybe when I think back on it, it was a bit overboard…"

"What about you Mion? Do you like this Higuchi guy?"

"Hah?! That's not possible!" She looked away blushing.

"We're going to go find these guys and have a nice chat ok?" When they turned around they looked but ready to kill someone.

"Chotto you 2! Isn't this going a bit far?" Hibiki was trying to reason with them.

"I should mention…" Everyone looked at a merry Ome. "This guy named Sasahara Kazuya made Rizumu angry when he said he didn't like idols. She yelled at him for 2 minutes straight and before we knew it, they got very friendly~ He called her interesting!"

"Ome!" Rizumu was beet red. Hibiki turned to stone. The angry vein popped up on Hibiki's head.

"Let's go Shou, Wataru. We have to go see these people that we've heard so much about right now." They were a trio of angry idols alright.

"What? Hibiki/Shou san/ Wataru!" MARs yelled their names really loudly which made a few girls come over and start a crowd as they spread the word.

"No!" Callings was getting ready to run for it.

"So which group of girls is going to run with them?" The crowd came stomping down the hallway. KIYUMI swiftly pushed the boys away as they ran away leaving Ome and MARs left. They dodged the first round of girls.

"Let's split up and find them!" Mion ordered.

"Rodger!" They went all 4 ways out of the middle of the hallway they were in.

"Sorry girls but I don't plan to help you search. Drama is coming along after all…" Ome went to check out the clubs.

* * *

"Where could they have gone to?" Aira said as she came up some stairs to the 2nd floor. As she was walking down the hallway and approaching a corner to the right, a group of girls ran past her.

"They said Callings is spotted on the 3rd floor! Hurry!"

"_Eh?! The 3__rd__ floor?! How'd they get up there so fast?" _One girl was a little behind and as she mixed in with the crowd, her shoulder hit Aira's shoulder making her spin and run into someone near the corner.

"Oh My God! Aira! Are you ok?" This foreigner spoke English and was the boy Shou wanted to meet.

"Why is Adams kun spinning so much…? I see 3 of you…" Aira was dizzy as he worryingly stared at her. She finally snapped out of it after a few seconds of him staring at her. "Ah! Adams Kun! Why are you here?"

"Well I was walking down to go look at the clubs… Why are you here Aira?"

"I was looking for Callings… They're being chased by girls everywhere…"

"Want me to come along too?"

"Really? That'd help a lot Adams Kun!"

"I can't have a transfer student that trips on level ground go find someone in a place she doesn't know too well. It's manners in France after all." Sweat was dropping from the back of her head as she didn't quite get what he meant. But for some reason she couldn't stop laughing when she was with him.

"Adams kun! You're so funny!" She smiled radiantly making him blush.

"Just call me Seiji, Aira."

"Eh? But…"

"If you don't I'll lift you up and kiss your cheek again!"

"Ah! Mou Seiji Kun! I don't want that!"

"I was joking Aira! Or maybe you really want me to do it again?"

"No way!" They happily walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor.

* * *

"Where did Hibiki and that sly Rie go?" Rizumu pouted in place and tapped her foot on the ground.

"Hibiki sama! Wataru sama! Shou sama!" Another group of girl came running behind Rizumu. They looked like the tennis club. As she dodged them she bumped into someone's blazer. She turned around and looked up to see a moody Sasahara Kazuya.

"Why does it seem like you're the one always bumping and grabbing onto me?" He was eyeing her hand gripping his blazer.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" He readjusted his uniform. "Nee Sasahara do you have any plans after this?"

"I'm going home and taking a nap."

"Then stay a little while and help me find Hibiki and Rie! You have nothing else to do, do you?"

"Why do I have to do that? And of course I do!"

"Please! I don't want to search in this big building all alone! Please? Think of it as showing a transfer student around!" She was skillfully making her hazel eyes water and look like she was going to cry. As he took a step back, she did too.

"Can't you find one of your friends to help you?"

"We split up to find Callings…"

"Idiot! Don't do something that stupid when you don't even know how to get to the right class!"

"Huh?"

"Like I said, you'll get lost like you did 4th period when we were going to science-"

"Wait how do you know that?" He covered his mouth. "Ah! Sasahara you-" He covered her mouth.

"It's not what you think ok?"

"What's not what I think?" She was giving him a mischievous cat face. He turned around and walked away. She ran after him. "Mou! I'm sorry Sasahara! But please can you just come with me for 10 minutes? That's more than enough!" He looked at her pleading face and just sighed.

"Fine." She pulled him away happily as he just went along with it all.

* * *

"Why am I actually trying to find them? I have no reason to search for them..." Mion looked outside at the cold but bright blue sky. It looked like the same sky she saw on the day she left Buenos Aires and reminded her of how sad she was to not have her busy parents see her off. Her eyes watered because the memories wouldn't stop running through her head. Higuchi Jiro was going to tease her as he saw her leaning her elbows on the windowpane. But when sparkling tears drifted down her cheeks, he couldn't find the courage to do that.

"Mion Chan! What's wrong?" He grabbed her hands and held them tightly.

"Nothing… Just thinking about some things…"

"Who made you cry? Are you ok?"

"Of course I'm ok. No one did anything ok? And what do you take me for?" She crossed her arms and pouted as he slumped down.

"Thank goodness Mion Chan."

"Why are you relieved? This doesn't have anything to do with you…"

"We're friends already! Of course it concerns me!"

"Eh? Friends? When did I agree to that?"

"What? Aren't we friends?"

"I don't remember agreeing to that… After all you said let's get along. You never said let's be friends."

"But isn't getting along the same thing as friends?"

"Naive. There are plenty of people in this world that can talk normally but aren't friends."

"Ehhhh? Is that so…?" He slumped down again. But this time he was feeling sad. Mion felt a bit guilty about saying that so she held out her hand.

"I said we aren't considered friends but I never said we couldn't be friends. Stop acting like a sad puppy and get up like a man. I-It's unsightly to see a high school boy look so sad." He grabbed her hand unexpectedly making her blush. She wasn't used to someone holding her hand unless it was Aira, Rizumu or Ome.

"_A boy's hand is surprisingly very warm… Wait! What am I thinking?" _Jiro smiled at a tsundere Mion.

"You're really not honest are you Mion Chan?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" She took her hand away from his hand.

"Are you embarrassed Mion Chan? You're so cute… Your hand was so soft and small…"

"Stop acting like a weirdo!" She faced the other way as he was trying to apologize.

"Ara ma… Don't you 2 look cute together." They turned around to see a proud Kiri holding onto Wataru's arm behind them. Wataru looked a bit mad. "Don't they Prince?" Kiri looked at Wataru. "Prince?" His eyes were focused on a flushed Mion that was arguing with Jiro.

"We're not a couple or friends even!" Mion said to them in a rush.

"Mion Chan! You just said-"

"Eh? I don't know what you're talking about Higuchi kun." She was trying to feign ignorance. Wataru's angry meter rose when he heard Higuchi come out of Mion's mouth. This meant that this was the boy he wanted to confront.

"You must the Higuchi kun I've heard so much about. Nice to meet you."

"Um… Who are you?"

"Uso! You don't know Wataru?! He's one of the most popular male idols in Japan!" Mion exclaimed.

"Well I pay attention to girl idols and admire them! Boy idols… Not so much…" He rubbed the back of his head as if he was being complimented.

"I'm Hyuuga Wataru, a member of Callings." It looked as if he was trying to conceal his anger.

"I'm Higuchi Jiro. Nice to meet you Wataru san."

"Aren't you supposed to be calling him senpai?" Mion asked.

"But isn't he the same age as me?"

"He's older than you. He's a second year Higuchi kun." Kiri said angry for some reason.

"Ah! Sorry for my rudeness Wataru senpai!"

"It's ok."

"Oh I know! Higuchi Kun why don't you come see our show next week? MARs will be the last group performing so you'll see your beloved Mion on stage!" She gave him a ticket.

"What's with this beloved Mion!?" The short blonde haired girl blushed like crazy as she was losing it.

"Thank you! I'll go!"

"Then it's settled! I want to go on a date with Prince so if you'll excuse us."

"_They're going on a date?! Why?" _

"Mion Chan are you jealous?"

"No! I don't have any feelings for him!"

"Calm down Mion Chan!"

"I'm sorry. Let's just go home ok?"

"_Maybe I should discuss this mess with Ome… What's wrong with me?" _

"Nee Sasahara? Where do you think they are?"

"Don't ask me. I don't even know either of them."

"You don't know Yukimura Rie?"

"Now that you mention it, there was a girl like that coming to our class a lot… Whose friend was she again?"

"How could you not remember me?" Rie came from behind the corner with Hibiki. "I lent you my English dictionary before. You don't remember?"

"Not at all."

"Kora! Sasahara! Can't you a bit nicer?!"

"What's there to be nice about?"

"Mou!" She pouted as Hibiki intervened.

"You must be the Sasahara kun I've heard about. It's nice to meet you. I'm Toudou Hibiki."

"Who are you?" He said it in an annoyed manner.

"He's a very popular idol Sasahara kun!" Rie said.

"Hm… Sorry but I need to be getting back. It's good you found them Amamiya."

"Hey Sasahara! Wait!" She chased after him which made Hibiki a bit jealous.

"Why does she chase after him?"

"Hibiki?" Rie looked at his eyes that fell on a running Rizumu catching up to Sasahara.

"_I have to do something about this! Hibiki can't fall for Amamiya Rizumu!" _

"Hey Sasahara wait!"

"What is it?"

"Why did you leave so suddenly? Did it bother you that Hibiki was an idol?"

"And what if it did?"

"He's one of the nicest people I've ever known so I won't forgive you if you're mean to him."

"Why does it matter to me if you hate me or not?"

"Mou! You're so difficult." He expected her to just walk over like all the other girls he met but she didn't. "Then I'll show you proof. Here's a ticket to next week's Prism Show. All of us are going to be in it and we'll all show you that idols are fun people and not people you should hate! You better go!" She ran away as he stood there looking at her with the ticket in his hand.

* * *

"Adams kun this is the 3rd floor? It's full of storage rooms and quiet clubs…"

"Yes. I don't like coming up here because it seems like something will come out and scare you… Like BOO!" Aira scream which caused Shou and Mii to run over.

"Aira?!" Shou yelled.

"Shou san? Mii Chan?"

"What happened? What did this guy do to you?"

"Nothing he said Boo…" She smiled at a Seiji that looked happy.

"Ah… Thank goodness…" Aira blushed while Mii glared.

"Why are you relieved Shou san?" Mii asked.

"Oh! No reason…"

"Adams kun do you want to come to our show next week?" Aira asked him.

"It's Seiji, Aira."

"_They're already calling each other by first names already?!" _Shou was clenching his fists because he didn't like the intimacy between the 2. Mii looked worried at his reaction to them.

"Do you want to go? I have a ticket here. You should come! We'll be sure to put on an amazing show for you!"

"Really? I can come?"

"Of course! Rizumu Chan, Mion Chan and I will put on an amazing performance for you! So you have to promise to come ok?"

"Of course!" Shou and Mii walked away leaving the other 2 dumbfounded.

"Let's go home ok Aira?"

"Why won't he say anything…?" Aira painfully looked at the 2 walking away as a worried Seiji stared at her.

* * *

"Oh ho. What exactly is MARs doing with a group of 3 boys?" Ome was waiting at the school gate.

"Ah! Ome where have you been this entire time?"

"The home economics room making cookies."

"Eh?! Weren't you supposed to help us find Callings?"

"Sorry I got bored and knew you'd find them eventually so I skipped out. But the cookies turned out well so here." She gave them 3 different colored handkerchief with ribbons with cookies inside. There were 3 types of cookies in each one.

"Pudding cookies!" Aira was so happy.

"Chocolate pudding cookies! Yay!" Rizumu ate one happily.

"Lemon Sugar Cookies!" Mion much on one and smiled.

"Wait… How was she able to prepare all that in an hour?"

"It didn't take that long to prepare the batter and the cookies baked for only 10-15 minutes each. And besides you guys took a little longer than an hour so I had time to wrap them with cute ribbons. What do you think?"

"These are great!"

"Seiji kun you try some!" He took a bite and smiled.

"Wow! This is amazing!" He said in English.

"Heh… Aira you're already calling him by his first name!" Mion and Rizumu crowded her.

"There's a reason behind this…" Jiro took a cookie from Mion's pile.

"Yummy!"

"Kora! Higuchi!" She laughed with him.

"Wah! Mion Chan you got closer to Higuchi kun too!" Aira and Rizumu yelled.

"Yup we're friends!"

"Hmph…" Mion looked the other way. Sasahara also came behind Rizumu and took a cookie.

"Hm… Not bad…"

"Could it be Sasahara…? You don't like sweet things?" Ome asked.

"Yeah and what about it?"

"I was right! Here then." She took out another pile of cookies wrapped in a yellow handkerchief. The cookies inside were a bit darker than the ones in Rizumu's pile.

"There couldn't be… Dark chocolate in this right Ome?" Rizumu looked at her.

"Yup there is. You better get over your dislikes Rizumu Chan."

"Eh? But dark chocolate is so bitter!"

"It's not bitter all the time. Try the cookies would you? I mixed some dark chocolate ones in your pile." She tried it and smiled.

"Thank goodness you didn't give me something so bitter like last time…"

"Oh that was just a prank you fell for. To tell the truth Wataru was supposed to eat it but somehow it ended being taken by you. And Adams Kun and Higuchi kun, I have different ones for you guys too. Adams gets strawberry angel cookies and Higuchi Kun gets chocolate chip."

"Wow! Thank you!"

"No problem! I decided to make more since I thought these girls would be dragging some people with them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The girls asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like. So anyway I would like you boys to do me a favor because of the cookies. WALK THESE GIRLS HOME OK!" She said it very loudly even though seemingly no one heard her.

"Ok…"

"See you guys tomorrow!" Ome waved. When they left, she glanced at the first floor's window and grinned. From the first floor Callings was gathered with Wataru looking outside with binoculars. They all saw Ome grinning like she completed a scheme. Well she did…

"_Ome… You… Why'd you ask them to walk MARs home…?" _

"YOU GUYS BETTER STEP UP YOUR GAME!" She yelled so they could hear. They just stood there hoping she'd stop yelling and reading minds.

_**~~~~~~~~Seeing her with another boy is painful but if you don't like it, confront your feelings~~~~~~~~**_


	6. Lunchtime

And because Ome said it, Callings took some rash actions.

"You're going to confront them 1 on 1?" Mii asked.

"Why would you do that?"

"Did they do something wrong?" Aira asked.

"No. We just want to talk to them ok?"

"That doesn't look like the case at all…" All the girls eyed the boys making them anxious.

"It's nothing ok! It's just because Ome said that yesterday!"

"What I said yesterday? What did I say?" She yawned because it was one period away from lunchtime.

"How could you not remember? Stop acting ignorant Ome!"

"Hai Hai! Whatever you say… I didn't think you'd be so aggressive though." She acted like she didn't care.

"So anyway, wait for us in the garden at lunchtime ok?" The boys ran to their classes. The girls also walked to their next period. Aira and Mii had home economics, Mion and Rie had math and Ome, Rizumu and Kiri had gym.

"Today we will make simple cookies for beginners. It is a very easy recipe so I think this class will be able to do very well." Aira and Mii were in the same group.

"I won't lose to you Harune Aira!" She start viciously stirring the flour and butter together.

"Ah! Mii Chan! You have to mix the butter with sugar first!" Aira quickly preheated the oven but she was too late.

"Eh?" There was a big lumpy mess in the mixing bowl now. Aira quickly stirred the butter until it got creamy and added in the sugar. The dough was a bit weird looking but they had to use it.

"What do we do now?" Mii said looking at it.

"We must use it. It's not good to waste it!" Her eyes were on fire.

"As expected of a bakery's daughter." They rolled out the dough into a giant oval and let it sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes. When they took it out, they got a bit scared of what they made.

"Why is it more yellow in some places?" Mii knew the dough was done for.

"Maybe we didn't mix it enough?" Aira stared at it too.

"Oh well! We're still baking them!" They cut them with cookie cutters and popped them into the hot oven. 10 minutes later the timer rang and they opened the oven.

"Uh…" The girls looked at their cookies. They were crumbly and some looked darker than others. Other groups glanced at the cookies and acted like they didn't see anything afterward.

"Why do we have to be outside…? It's so cold!" Rizumu was shivering as she was running.

"Those girls must be so lucky to be inside…" Ome said thinking about Aira, Mii, Mion and Rie.

"Some people must be amazing then because Kiri seems to not feel a thing." She pointed to a Kiri that had sparkles around her as she talked with other girls.

"Ah! I just want to go inside already…" Rizumu tripped over a rock stuck on the ground and before she fell right on her face, Sasahara that seems to be everywhere caught her with his right arm.

"Heh… You seem to be everywhere Sasahara. Could it be… You've been watching Rizumu?"

"Oi. Stop the jokes Zhang." She pouted because he was no fun.

"Thanks Sasahara. You're not cold?" She gave him sympathetic eyes that looked so innocent.

"I'm fine." He walked away briskly.

"This guy is so easy to see through. Trying to act cool huh?" Ome grinned as she looked at him walking.

"What are you talking about Ome?"

"Don't worry! You'll know soon enough…" Sasahara was actually flushed a bit after seeing Rizumu. Lunchtime finally came and the girls hurried and changed into their uniforms before the bell rang.

"Why are we hurrying Ome?!" All the girls asked her as they ran.

"It's too boring to wait for the guys in the garden so we'll wait for them as they talk!"

"How do you know where they'll be?!"

"Because I'm Ome!" It echoed down the hallway as they ran. People were wondering what they were doing since Prism Stars were running down the hallway at lightning speed.

"Is it ok to trust her when she says that?" Rie asked.

"Well Ome's right 9.9 times out of 10. I don't know how…" Mion and Rizumu replied.

"Ok! Stop!" Ome stopped first and put up her hands signaling to brake but the girls all couldn't stop and one after the other hit the wall. As they landed on the floor and on top of each other, Ome rubbed her head. "Thank goodness we got here early." She pointed to the corner. Callings and those 3 boys just stopped and starting talking.

"So you're Adams kun? I'd like to ask you something."

"What is it senpai?" He said, innocently.

"What's your relationship to Aira? Is it true that you hugged her?" He eyed him coldly.

"_Why is Shou san asking that?" _Aira and Mii thought simultaneously. Hibiki and Wataru just stayed quiet and crossed their arms as the other 2 boys watched. Jiro was just looking around and Sasahara was seriously really bored.

"Yes I did hug her when she transferred and our relationship? Well we're really good friends! Aira Chan is so cute! Every time she turns pink when I get closer to her is so adorable!" He smiled to a Shou that didn't look impressed.

"_This guy… Give him an inch and look what he does to her…" _Aira blushed on the side.

"Why are you getting red?" Mii was a bit jealous.

"No reason!"

"Shh!" Everyone else said as they put a finger to their lips.

"So why do you want to know, Miyamoto senpai?"

"No reason. Do you like her?"

"Of course I do!" Shou had a bad feeling about this.

"As a friend?"

"I think so…" He didn't really know.

"Since you are friends with Aira don't go past the boundaries."

"Boundaries?"

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"Huh? I don't understand what you mean senpai…"

"Never mind… Just stop scaring Aira ok?" He walked away uneasy about what's going to happen.

"Go follow him Aira!" Rizumu, Mion and Ome hissed.

"Ah!" Rie and Kiri said. Mii was already well on her way behind Shou.

"Ah! Mii Chan!" Aira ran after them. Ome sighed.

"When will Aira ever be able to get the confidence to act on her feelings?"

"Really…" Mion and Rizumu sighed too before Wataru started talking.

"Higuchi kun, I know Shou asked Adams kun the same thing but I would like to ask you the same."

"What was it again? What that senpai said?" He just rubbed his head because he wasn't paying attention.

"Do you like Mion?"

"Hm… Mion he's asking about you!" Ome teased her.

"It's not a big deal!" She was trying to brush off her curiosity on what Wataru was trying to accomplish by asking.

"You say that but you really want to know why he's concerned for you aren't you?" Rizumu and Ome double teamed her. Before she could yell Rizumu covered her mouth.

"Hmph… Prince is just asking about Takamine Mion… It's nothing to be upset about…" Kiri was trying to calm herself down.

"Hey Kiri?" Ome turned to her. "You said that your brother is the weird type that hugs and kisses any cute girl right?"

"Yes? What of it?"

"Well where do you think your brother went then?" She pointed to the empty space where Seiji was and just disappeared from. Kiri's face showed that she was thinking that her brother was picking up girls again.

"Imbecile Onii sama!" She took off running as she left Rie alone.

"Why does she always run after him?" Rizumu asked.

"Because," Rie started before she sighed, "If her brother does something stupid she'll be less popular…" The other girls could only stare blankly.

"Wait… Ome did you plan this?" Rizumu eyed her.

"No I thought of it when I noticed the guy heading to the cafeteria. But he might actually try to sweet talk some girls… And besides Kiri seemed to want to challenge Mion and that would've blown our cover."

"Why do you ask Hyuuga senpai? Could it be that you like Mion Chan?" He blushed slightly.

"That's not it!"

"Idiot…" Ome faced palmed herself as Mion felt a bit funny. Her hand was shaking.

"Well I do like her since she's funny when she gets mad." He was peppy.

"Then you do like her?"

"We're friends after all!" He didn't seem to get the nature of the question.

"_This guy… Is he just stupid or trying to act like he doesn't know what I mean?" _

"_Higuchi Jiro is stupid no doubt about it."_ The girls all thought.

"Anyway, don't do anything strange to her ok?"

"Strange?"

"Don't go beyond 10 centimeters close to her!"

"Senpai? Are you sure you don't like Mion Chan?"

"I'm sure!" He ran the other way.

"Wataru really is weird…" Mion gripped the wall as she looked at him running away.

"Don't you want to run after him? He probably didn't finish talking."

"I know!" She ran down the same hallway.

"Isn't she supposed to say 'Whatever Wataru says is none of my business'?" The remaining girls giggled.

"You know you're going to be talked about next right Rizumu?" She froze.

"How can you be so sure?" Rie asked.

"Why else would Hibiki call out someone as unsociable and difficult as Sasahara?" A shadow crept up behind her.

"Sorry for being unsociable and difficult Zhang." He didn't look happy; Well he never is happy actually.

"Wah! Hibiki! Sasahara!" Rie and Rizumu yelled together.

"What is it?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because we were being so loud." Ome said not scared at all. "Now boys we'll be leaving so you guys can have a nice conversation ok?" She dragged Rizumu and Rie away and the boys couldn't see them after the turned past the wall.

"Why can't we spy some more?" Rizumu said as they stopped.

"I want to know what they're talking about!" Rie said.

"Who said we're not spying anymore?" She pointed back and when the girls looked, they saw Hibiki and Sasahara.

"Oh!" They were listening in.

"I called it Use the Blind Spot- They're not listening…" Ome just leaned on the wall as they hid.

"Why do you even want to know that?"

"Because… Rizumu-"

"It isn't any of your business what's going between us."

"_Going on between us?! Sasahara…" _Rizumu was getting a bit angry.

"Heh… This guy is implying something's going on between you 2… Why don't you guys date so Hibiki will be mine?" Rie said.

"No way!"

"It is my business! She-" Hibiki stopped when he realized what he was about to say.

"I don't have anything to do with her." Sasahara walked away. Ome pushed Rie and Rizumu into the hallway.

"What'd you do that for?!"

"Since he has nothing to do and there's still 30 minutes of lunch, go have lunch with him." They looked embarrassed but ran to him anyway.

"Hibiki! Let's go eat lunch! I'll share some of mine with you!" Rizumu said happily.

"No! He's eating with me!" Rie argued. Hibiki just had a giant sweat drop form on the back of his head.

"And next…" Ome headed down the hallway to find Mion spying on Wataru. She pushed her so Wataru would see her.

"Wataru/Mion?"

"Why don't you guys have lunch together?"

"Why?!" Mion yelled. Ome went to her and whispered.

"Because this will be one of your only chances to not have Kiri around bothering you about who's winning Wataru's heart." She went over to Wataru.

"I heard what you were saying to Higuchi. He didn't get it but I know what you mean. I could easily tell Mion right now what exactly you meant…" She smiled evilly.

"O-Ok…" They walked together as Ome saw them off.

"And lastly…" She went up the stairs and up to the roof as she saw Mii and Aira with Shou. "So people, having fun?"

"Mou! Harune Aira keeps getting in the way! Why can't I feed Shou san?" She yelled.

"H-He might not like that!"

"How do you know that?!" Ome just laughed.

"You guys baked cookies this morning right?"

"Yes but how-"

"I saw some smoke…" She rubbed her check with her finger.

"Eh? Just because you saw smoke, you assumed it was us?! You're horrible Ome!"

"That's not it! I saw smoke so I knew your class was baking!"

"Oh... I see…"

"So… Why don't you guys share them with Shou?" They took them out and got a bit embarrassed when they opened the napkins. Shou just twitched his eyebrow as charcoal cookies stared back at him.

"Shou san will you try them?" They both asked him.

"Ah… I-"

"Ah Shou… To think that you can't even eat cookies made by 2 girls… Are you that cowardly?" Lightning clashed between the corner of their eyes.

"Fine… I'll eat it!" He took a piece of cookie from Aira's pile and stuffed it into his mouth. As he chewed, the more sick he felt. He turned the other way to make sure they don't see his face.

"_This really tastes like cardboard!" _

"Shou san, is it not good?" They asked.

"No, it's the best." He turned his face around and smiled at them with sparkles around his face.

"Really?" The smiled like little kids.

"See Amy? I can do-" He looked at the opened door to get off the roof. "Ah! Not here! Amy!" Meanwhile Amy was on the way down from the roof on the stairs laughing.

"It may be great that you survived Shou but I would probably have to try those cookies next…"

**Aira and Mii: Chotto! What's that supposed to mean?!**

**Ome: Oh that? It means that the cookies you made should all be for Shou because they're so good!**

**Aira and Mii: Really? *jumping happily***

**Ome: *everyone comes except Shou who's afraid of trying anymore cookies* So why doesn't everyone try it? *Hibiki and Wataru each put one in their mouth and fall straight on their backs***

**Aira and Mii: Huh? What's wrong with our cookies?!**

**Wataru: Mion…**

**Hibiki: Rizumu…**

**Kiri and Rie: Hey! Why aren't you calling our names?! *popping veins on the sides of their heads***

**Hibiki and Wataru: If we die here we want to tell you that… *Mion and Rizumu look worriedly at them***

**Rizumu and Mion: Hibiki/Wataru! *sits on the floor next to their heads and starts tearing up***

**Ome: What is this? A dramatic play? I didn't think their cookies were this deadly…**

**Aira and Mii: What?! Ome you said our cookies were so good- *She runs for her life***

_**~~~~~~~~Spying is not always good… But if you get fun out of it, why not?~~~~~~~~**_


	7. Declarations and the Prism Show

"So who are you practicing so much for?" KIYUMUI walked in on MARs' lesson. Ome also came along with them.

"Is it for the giant audience at the plaza or for those 3 boys that you invited?"

"No! It's not about them! How do you even know that Ome?!" They dropped their Batopons from shock.

"And if I said that I dragged Callings with me to spy on you guys before you got to the gate?"

"Ome! You!" She innocently smiled.

"I was kidding~ After all weren't they with you girls?" She turned to Mii, Rie and Kiri.

"No… Shou san/Hibiki/Prince ran away…"

"Oh ho… Is that right? Maybe they went to stop you girls from spending more time with those freshmen boys…"

"For what reason?!" MARs yelled make the other 4 cover their ears.

"What happened?!" Callings burst through the doors. Ome smiled showing that she was expecting them.

"I think it's about time Mii and her friends tell you guys why they want to beat you guys so much. After all they're after revenge too." She went to the doors and pushed all 3 boys out and closed the door.

"How come we never know what's going on?!" MARs and Callings yelled at the same time.

"Well you 6 will soon know. Anyway Callings I found some information on all the 3 girls inside. Apparently they attend the same school Aira, Mion and Rizumu went to until a few days ago. It was only for a week but many things happened. Kiri, Mii, and Rie liked 3 boys named Nishimura Taiki, Ono Haruki and Minami Ryotarou. It didn't make it better that they were even bullied by other girls in the school for liking the top 3 hottest boys of the school."

"But that's not enough to hate them is it?"

"Well maybe not until those 3 came in contact with MARs. Those 3 girls misunderstood…" She looked back into the room from the corner of her eye. Simultaneously, KIYUMI stepped up to MARs.

"You may not remember us but we were students at your old school for a week. During that week we faced so many disasters because we admired the 3 cutest boys of that school." Mii said.

"We hated it but we thought that as long as we had each other it would be ok! But then you 3 came in. We didn't like how Nishimura, Ono and Minami Kun liked to be around you and acted like we were invisible." Rie said shaking her fists.

"When we decided to confess before we left for Aono Gakuen but on that day after school we saw them with you 3. Ono Haruki was being intimate with you and you, Takamine Mion flirted with him back!"

"What are you talking about?! I would never-"

"Don't try to deny it! I saw it!" Kiri looked really hurt causing Mion to not be able to argue back.

"It wasn't just you. Harune Aira and Amamiya Rizumu were just as intimate with Nishimura and Minami Kun. You guys even kissed Amamiya Rizumu!" Rie pointed to Rizumu.

"I didn't kiss anyone!" Rizumu tried to argue back. But it didn't work as the girls just didn't listen as hatred and rage filled their hearts when the memory came back. And at the same time, Ome explained the same thing to Callings.

"Mii misunderstood what was going on between Aira and that Nishimura kid and thought she was flirting with him when he came into her classroom. Rie ran after she saw Minami and Rizumu "kiss" and Kiri just swayed from side to side after she saw Mion and Ono "hug". It shouldn't have been that big of a deal but because they were leaving and they lost their first loves to idols, it must've hurt them a lot. They all transferred the next day and stayed silent about why…" She gripped her hand.

"They were bullied…?"

"Yes… And quite badly too. I could only see how pitiful the girls were when they found their shoes gone from their shoe lockers. I couldn't help them either… And now they want to get revenge on MARs for it… I'm not even sure about what they'll do…"

"But aren't you-"

"I can tell what'll happen but right now, feelings fueled from hatred can lead to anything happening." They stayed silent trying to digest all of what they heard. Inside, KIYUMI made a big decision.

"We've tried to put it behind us but we really can't! We really can't be friends with people that stole our first loves away! And now that we're just two different groups of Prism Stars, we'll be sure to make you guys experience how much it hurts to have your love stolen away but another girl!"

"Stay away from Callings! Don't steal away our loves away anymore!" Rie said. They ran off bumping into Ome as they opened the door but continued to rush out.

"KIYUMI most likely wants to use you 3 to get back at MARs. They do like you but their feelings of revenge overpower their feelings of love…"

"What should we do?"

"Right now, you guys have to sort out your feelings. Which girl do you guys like? Are you guys willing to hurt another girl for your own love?" She walked away. Callings and MARs just stood there without saying a word.

**~The Next Day~**

MARs couldn't practice as much as they wanted to due to how bad they felt. Ome and KIYUMI didn't come back after that discussion. As all 3 groups gathered backstage for the performance, they couldn't talk.

"Why does it seem like the mood is dropping by the second?" Asechi Shachou commented. KIYUMI glared at MARs.

"Ma Ma Kyoko san. Let them do what they want~ After all you still make the money don't you?" They grinned at each other.

"Ome Chan, I'm not thinking of that~" They linked arms and danced.

"And who made those outfits?" Kyoko looked at MARs and KIYUMI's dresses.

"Shou made them of course!" MARs wore matching cotton lolita dresses with straps and a ribbon tied to the back of their neck. It had 3 layers of ruffles at the bottom and Aira, Rizumu and Mion wore the same light yellow color. KIYUMI wore cotton lolita dresses as well but this time they had a small sleeve with a corset in the middle of the dress and ribbons on the top and middle of the pink dresses. KIYUMI went up first and left without saying a word.

**Let's dance together, go for it! Go for it!  
Do you wanna dance with me?**

**sora no iro to haru no kaori  
mazetemireba koi no yokan  
te wo nobaseba todoku kyori ni  
mirai sugu soba ni aru**

Rie and Mii skated together and performed Heart Arc Fantasy. Kiri came up behind them and performed Honey Kiss. Seiji and Jiro smiled in the crowd. Kazuya just looked bored.

**Yuuki dashite MAMA no RU-JU**  
**tsuketemireba mune DOKI DOKI**  
**sukoshi senobi otona mitai**  
**PAPA ni naisho dakara ne!**

**ima ha mada hayai to iu kedo…**  
**gaman dekinai saa Let's, let's dance! ****Let's Dance!**

All 3 girls skated together and performed their own jump, Musical Art Fantasy. They skated backstage and smiled when Callings greeted them.

"That was great Trainee Chans!" They complimented them.

"Aren't you going to compliment them too MARs?" The president asked.

"Let's hold off on that Shachou." Ome said as she waved to Callings as they were next.

**Hitori yogari Kodoku na BOKU wa KIMI no KIMOCHI wakatteru****  
Futari no KOTO Dare mo iwanai Himitsu ni shitai no sa****  
Kono negai Kanaetai****  
Meguri aeta KOTO ga kiseki (subete) sa****  
Oh-oh-!**

Shou winked at Mii and Aira. Aira was holding a bottle of pocari for him.

**Aseru KIMOCHI Dousureba ii no? Konna KIMOCHI hajimete sa****  
Yume no naka de Hohoemu KIMI ni KOKORO ubawarete shimatta****  
Kono omoi Tsutaetai****  
Yuuki dashite Kotoba ni suru yo**

Hibiki performed Shooting Star Spiral, Wataru jumped after with Dangerous Baby Face and Shou did Boundless Hug. All the girls smiled.

"I'll take this to Shou san ok?" Mii snatched the bottle from Aira's hands as she ran. Aira felt helpless. It wasn't that she didn't want to get it back but she felt like she couldn't.

"Then me too!" Rie took the grape soda from Rizumu's hands.

"Wait-" Rizumu couldn't stop her when those words popped up in her head again.

"Then I'll take this tea!" Kiri took the tea in a bottle from Mion's hand. MARs just stood there as Asechi Shachou was started to wonder what's going on with them today.

"Oi Ome why are all these girls acting strange?"

"Because they are strange."

"You… You're up to something aren't you?"

"Maybe…" Her facial expression showed a devil ready to carry out a scheme. Kyoko was shivering.

"Please Ome… Stop that habit of yours…" She put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why?~ It's fun!" As Callings walked over she grinned. "Shachou I'm going to make it a little more fun k?"

"Ome!" She skipped to MARs.

"Aira, Mion, Rizumu put on a good show for the boys you invited ok? And maybe you can even bring them here~"

"Hai?"

"Never mind! Go out there and have fun!" She pushed them gently to the front as the crowd chanted their names. Ome looked so carefree so they thought they could be too.

"Mion!" She called her own name as she put her hand down.

"Aira!" She put her hand on top of Mion's.

"Rizumu!" She put her hand on Aira's.

"MARs Music Ready Sparkling!" As they lifted their hands in the air, their friendship bracelets shined. They skated together to the center of the rink.

"Konichiwa! We're MARs!" The girls waved. When they spotted Jiro and Seiji dragging Kazuya to where they were standing, they laughed making the crowd more excited. Many guys and teenage girls thought MARs was looking at them. "Let's show them an awesome show Rizumu Chan, Mion Chan!" Aira was emitting sparkling aura.

"Un!" Mion and Rizumu joined in with her and everyone was surprised at their radiance. As they started dancing people cheered. KIYUMI felt jealous of MARs and the fans cheering for them.

"Callings come over here. And no, KIYUMI you cannot come along." Ome said eyeing them. She walked with Callings to the hallway that led to the backstage of the show. "Now on to business," She crossed her arms as she faced the boys. "You do know that MARs invited those 3 freshmen right?"

"What?!"

"You didn't know…? What exactly am I going to do with you boys…? So quick question, who do you think made those drinks for you?" They looked down at their refreshments.

"KIYUMI?"

"Bu Bu!" She made sounds that sounded like you were wrong on a game show. And simultaneously,

**Saa! Kore kara hajimaru Tsugi no tobira e **

"But they're the ones that gave it to us…"

"Tsk Tsk boys… When a girl hands you something, it doesn't mean they were the ones to make it."

**Hop! Step! Jump! Takaku kake nukete yukou**

Air and Rizumu jumped together and performed Dolphin Venus Duo. Mion jumped Miracle Macchiato.

**Nee! Donna toki demo One! Two! Three!**  
**Minna de Smile! Smile! ****Smile!**  
**Egao wasurezu ni iyou**

**Nadeshiko no Hana kotoba wo Mune ni himete**  
**Daitan ni yuukan ni**

MARs decided to do another Prism Jump, with Aira's Fresh Fruits Paradise and Mion & Rizumu performing Heartful Splash as a duo.

"Wow! They are amazing!" Seiji commented in the crowd.

"Yeah! Go! Mion Chan!" She saw him yelling and smiled a bit.

"_This guy makes so much noise but…" _Aira looked over at her gentle expression and smiled too. Rizumu didn't know what was going on but smiled too.

"So this is the Prism Show… Not bad Amamiya Rizumu…" Kazuya stopped struggling from the boys' grip. He looked away when Rizumu grinned at him in the crowd.

**Soh! Massugu ni ikite yukou**

**Akogare dake ja Yume de owaru yo**

**Move on! Aserazu susumou**  
**Akiramenaide Jibun shinjite**  
**Hora! Ue muite**

MARs each twirled higher one after the other. Aira, Mion and then Rizumu went after. All 3 of them performed MARs Phoenix.

**Moh! Furi mukanaide Zutto! **

They posed at the end as the audience yelled for an encore.

"Then Shachou?"

"You're just waiting for the world to end aren't you? When the president finally decides to make food for you… Watch out."

"She's a bad cook?"

"Beyond that. She's one of those people that can blow up pots with her mixing…" They stayed silent as they thought of any other girls besides MARs.

"You made it?" They turned to Ome.

"Why would I do that?" She gave them a smirk that showed that she was definitely not the one.

"Then who…" She shook her head in disappointment.

"If it's not me, KIYUMI or the president that leaves…?" She walked back before they answered her. KIYUMI eyed her suspiciously when she came through the door again. Callings also came after but stayed in the back as Ome peered out at MARs.

"Nee how about we bring them backstage like Ome said?" Rizumu accidentally talked into her microphone.

"Ome?"

"Who's 'them'?" The crowd was fidgeting.

"Mou! Rizumu/Rizumu Chan!"

"Gomen! But anyway let's get them! Sasahara!" He was fidgeting in the crowd as she was getting closer to him.

"No!" She pulled him up to the stage and kicked him up to the stage. Seiji and Jiro followed them.

"Ahaha! And to think these girls would really do it!" Ome laughed. As Jiro hopped up by himself, he surprised Mion by skating into her because he didn't have much experience. He held one of her shoulders to stop himself from falling. Aira was trying to help Seiji up. It kind of worked but at the same time it didn't because he always seemed to fall down again. She finally decided to try as hard as she can and got him up only to have him fall on her. They spun around in a circle for a little bit because Aira got dizzy. He finally stopped her but it was a bit of a strange pose. He was on top of Aira.

"Who are these boys?" The crowd whispered.

"And that's why I didn't want to come…" Kazuya rubbed his head.

"Could it be… Sasahara… You hate standing out?" He gulped showing that she was right. As she started laughing he pinched her cheeks to stop her. Jiro did the same to Mion for fun. Seiji was able to stand up on the stage and helf Aira by the top of her arms as she was still dizzy. The 2 girls were able to break apart and wanted to skate backstage first but after they took some steps the boys fell on their butts. Aira finally woke up and held Seiji's wrists as she helped him up. Se blushed a bit because he was taller than her and he was close. Rizumu held her hand out for Sasahara and he took it. He was definitely taller than her too.

"Hold on to my hand ok?" She skated and he followed her looking at the back of her head intently.

"Mou… You're really troublesome." Mion extended her hand that Jiro happily took.

"Could they be MARs's boyfriends?!" Someone in the crowd said.

"No way!" Someone else said.

"You're wrong!" MARs swiftly skated off the rink while furiously blushing.

"You really brought them!" Ome laughed. The angry vein popped up on Sasahara's head.

"You planned this Zhang?"

"Of course not. I was just throwing out a suggestion that these superstars took."

"Um.. You boys… Would you guys like to be idols?!" Asechi Shachou suggested.

"President! Stop trying to recruit every good looking guy that can skate, you see!"

"But they have potential…" She was mooping in the corner because Ome shut her plans down.

"Thanks for the refreshments MARs." Callings walked up to them, Shou in front of Aira, Hibiki in front of Rizumu, and Wataru in front of Mion.

"Eh? But-"

"Only you guys would've known our favorite drinks." MARs happily blushed as KIYUMI decided to confront Ome. They pulled her out into the hallway.

"What are you intending?"

"Nothing much."

"Why do you keep getting in our way?!"

"Who says I'm getting in your way? I'm just being a friend to MARs."

"If you side with them, you'll be our enemy too."

"Now who says I'm siding with them? I'm only on the side of love and courage not the people fueled by hatred and revenge." Her eyes showed no fear at all in her eyes. On the contrary, she was scaring them.

"Hatred and revenge?! We're not-"

"If you're sticking with hatred for MARs, you'll never get that happy ending you want or Callings. Remember that." She glared at them before returning to the happy Ome when she looked at MARs. KIYUMI came in and clung to Callings' arms. Callings that remembered their story felt pity for them so they didn't question it. MARs looked unhappy which their 3 classmates noticed.

"_What's wrong?"_ They all thought as they saw Aira, Mion and Rizumu feeling bad. They remembered those words.

"_Stay away from Callings! Don't steal away our loves anymore!"_ The boys looked at the shivering and gloomy girls and each took off their jackets. Callings looked surprised at the boys giving MARs their jackets. But they didn't approach each other at all. The president just stood there confused at the scene.

"Yare Yare… What to do…?" Ome stood there whistling.

**Really, this has become dramatic hasn't it? Well R&R for updates from me, Ome Chan~**

_**~~~~~~~~The past can come back to haunt you… But that is your decision…~~~~~~~~**_


	8. In Trouble

**Ome:Wow! Time passes by fast doesn't it?**

**Rizumu: What do you mean Ome? **

**Ome: Well it's already time for my 8****th**** chapter for Never Ending Bonds! Yay for my favorite number!**

**Rizumu: Then does that mean… We'll finally…*gives Ome the puppy eyes***

**Ome: What could you be talking about?**

**Rizumu: You should know!**

**Ome: I should?**

**Rizumu: Of course! After all in your other Pretty Rhythm fanfictions you…**

**Ome: Ah! *remembers* Not that. It's too early _Rizumu Chan_. But of course if you are so excited about that fact, I can tell Hibiki and I'm sure he'd do it in real life- *talks like an intellectual professor***

**Rizumu: Anything but that! *dashes out the doors***

**Aira and Mion: Ome… Stop teasing Rizumu…**

**Ome: But it's fun~ **

**Aira and Mion: What are we going to do with you…?**

**Ome: And since today's chapter is one of my lucky numbers, I might make something good happen…**

**MARs: For us?!**

**Ome: It's good to see you again Rizumu. And maybe… I'm not dropping any hints!**

**MARs: Eh?!**

**Ome: Now Trick Question for Readers: What was it that Rizumu was hoping Hibiki would do to her? And matter of fact let's throw in what Aira and Mion hope Shou and Wataru will do to them in the next 10 chapters. **

**Aira and Mion: Wait! What?!**

**Ome: Hint~ First one starts the other 1 or 2~ **

Ever since that day, MARs and KIYUMI's relationship stayed as people that know each other but refuse to be on good terms. They only talked to each other if they had to class and MARs slowly drifted apart from Callings as well. It was getting painful to even see each other hanging out with KIYUMI or the boys in their class. But as MARs and Callings always looked back at each other, KIYUMI wanted to ruin their relationship.

"Why do you keep looking back at Callings?!" The girls confronted MARs at lunchtime.

"We're not-"

"Stop acting like you didn't do anything!"

"Well they didn't do anything. And you girls should really pay more attention. Callings looked back at them too."

"Stay out of this Zhang!"

"Why should I? You're picking a fight with them?" She walked in front of MARs and smirked.

"Why can't you just leave Callings alone?!"

"But they haven't made any contact with them. What's there to 'leave them alone'?"

"Why don't you understand?!"

"Because you girls are making unreasonable accusations~" She whistled really not caring about how angry they were getting. They stomped away.

"Ome, you didn't have to do that-"

"MARs are you really going to give up on Callings just because of those girls?"

"I like Jun san! Why should I be worried about who becomes the girlfriends of Callings?!" Ome just shook her head.

"We're still on that aren't we? A-cha…"

"Ome Chan… Do we even have the right to-"

"Girls… This isn't about rights… It's about your feelings and how strong they are. If they're powerful enough to make you want to be with the person you love and hurt someone else, that's your decision. I am not the one to decide."

"Hurt someone else…" The girls thought back to Mii, Rie and Kiri's situations.

"Ok scratch that. If your feelings are strong enough that you would want to be with him instead of supporting him with someone else, that's not something that's your fault. Every girl wants to be with someone." She looked at them worryingly .

"But we are guilty of taking away their first loves…"

"If you choose to dwell on that forever, then you won't be happy… However you girls shouldn't be sad about that forever. You have friends like me with you!" She gave them a thumbs up. They started tearing up.

"Ome…" They were in front of Mion's classroom. The boys came out to go eat lunch.

"Amy you made them cry?!" Jiro and Seiji yelled.

"Stop pointing fingers! That's not it!" She was fidgeting too.

"That's not it. We're ok." MARs wiped their tears. The boys slightly blushed.

"Boys, you're so easy to read~"

"Shut it!" They said to cover up their redness.

"Why don't we all have lunch together today?"

"She's not listening…"

"Un!" MARs followed her. The boys gave in and followed them as well.

"So do you boys buy bread everyday?"

"Yeah."

"Oh how sad… And when you have such a cute little sister that could make lunch for you everyday Adams…"

"Stop making fun of me Amy…"

"Sorry. I was trying to lighten the mood. Then how about this? We girls will share our bentos with you boys today!"

"Stop the jokes…"

"We don't mind…" MARs said softly.

"And with that said… It's decided!" Callings heard them down the hallway as they were heading to the roof.

"Should we follow them?"

"Callings will be eating with us right?" Mii, Rie and Kiri came up behind them. They clung to their sleeves. Callings could see desperation in their eyes so they had no choice.

"Sure…" Ome and the group went to the roof and sat down.

"Let's hurry and eat!" She said happily. She took out 2 huge boxes of food.

"What's with that giant amount of food?"

"Rizumu and I always pack a lot of food!" Aira and Mion had sweat drops on their heads as they unraveled their own, smaller lunches.

"Wow! This is amazing…" The boys looked at the sparkling lunches.

"Go ahead people!" The food was all laid out on the picnic blanket.

"Itadakimasu!" Seiji and Jiro said loudly as Sasahara quietly said it. Jiro had 2 chocolate cornets, Seiji got 3 melonpans and Kazuya had a baked curry bread.

"Wow! Seiji kun you eat 3 melonpans everyday?"

"Yes… I have a big appetite I guess…" He stroked his hair in embarrassment.

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about! It's good to have a big appetite!" She smiled making him redden.

"Well it may be bad when your appetite is as big as Rizumu's…" Ome teased her.

"Ome!" They laughed together.

"Mion Chan what kind of bento do you have?" He looked to see her lunchbox. It was full of vegetables. He didn't look happy.

"What is it?"

"Mion Chan… Why is it that your lunchbox has mostly vegetables?"

"Because! Vegetables are good for models!"

"But…" He looked like he didn't want to try any.

"Do you want to try some?"

"No I'm fine…" He looked like he was going to die if he ate some.

"Higuchi Kun… You shouldn't be picky…"

"But spinach is a bit-"

"Oh~ So you don't like spinach?" She shoved some spinach into his mouth with her chopsticks.

"Um… Girls? Is it ok to let Mion san torture him like that?" Seiji asked as Kazuya looked annoyed.

"Of course. It's more fun that way~" Aira was just nodding with Ome and Rizumu that looked like they had a lot of fun watching Mion shove Jiro's most hated food down his throat.

"Sasahara, you should try the bento I made!" Ome said.

"It's really good!" Rizumu was chomping on tamagoyaki. Ome looked like SHE was going to shove it down HIS throat if he didn't try it out of his own free will. He picked up an octopus wiener and put it in his mouth.

"It's ok." He turned away as he blushed.

"Mou! Sasahara! You're being shy again!" Rizumu sat next to him as she was trying to get him to try more things.

"Aira Chan? Can I try something too?"

"Of course!" He took a karaage from her food which surprised her.

"Delicious!"

"Aha… I thought you would take it from Ome's lunch box…"

"But I'm sure Aira Chan's lunch is just as good!" She blushed as she didn't know why she was being complimented.

"Adams kun… You know Aira's mom made that lunchbox right?" Ome and Rizumu were waving their chopsticks.

"Really?!"

"Hai…"

"So anyway… Mion? Do you know what you're doing?" They looked at her trying to make Jiro eat spinach again. She looked at him and her chopsticks. She blushed as she turned the other way.

"What's wrong with her?" Sasahara eyed her.

"You don't get it? Mion Chan basically had an indirect kiss-"Aira stopped when she saw fire around Mion as she was trying to make them quit teasing her.

"I wonder what would happen if Callings and KIYUMI were here…" Ome looked like she said it purposely. MARs stopped smiling at once. They didn't feel well.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom ok? I'll see you guys in the classroom…" Rizumu closed her lunchbox and ran down the stairs.

"I need to go to the music room because I forgot something there! Bye!" Mion also dashed down the stairs.

"I'll go for a walk then…" Aira got up and walked down the stairs leaving the boys and Ome on the roof.

"You…" The boys looked at Ome suspiciously.

"What?" She was still eating like nothing was wrong.

"You obviously said something that they didn't want to hear!"

"Well maybe I should tell you guys too…"

"About?"

"Well you should know Kiri, Mii and Rie like Callings."

"Really?!"

"Yes. But that's not the issue. KIYUMI went to the same school as MARs for about a week and during that week they fell in love with the 3 most popular boys of the school."

"And what does that-"

"Well KIYUMI got bullied for that. And then those boys met MARs. The boys liked MARs but they didn't like them in return. But one day after school, KIYUMI misunderstood that MARs was flirting with those boys. Rie even said Rizumu kissed one of the guys…" She rubbed her head.

"What?!" Sasahara yelled.

"Please refrain from showing your emotions right now. That can be saved for later. And anyway, now that KIYUMI likes Callings, they don't want to lose them to MARs. MARs on the other hand, knowing how nice they are, feel that they are to blame for all of this. They are sad because they are in a situation where they feel guilty and feel that they have no right to be near Callings anymore. But who knows if they really like Callings or not…" She said casually.

"But if you're their friend why aren't you doing something about it?"

"Because I can't. Love is not something that someone helps you get. MARs won't be able to get who they like if I stick up and help them all the time. They need to get stronger themselves. I can only give them advice. It's their decision to use it or not. That's my job as their friend."

"Then what should we do?" They took a bite of their breads.

"What are your feelings toward them?" They spit out their foods in unison.

"Why must you ask that kind of question when we're eating?!"

"Because I want to know. After all I think you 9 are headed into a giant mess."

"How would you know something like that?!"

"Because I'm very good at predicting the future. Now answer me."

"I don't have any particular feelings for her!" Sasahara stood up and walked down the stairs briskly.

"Heh… Then what about you 2?"

"I-I don't know!" Jiro went running down the stairs faster than Sasahara.

"Then Adams?"

"Well Aira is cute and- Ah! What am I saying?!" He ran down the stairs like he was crazier than Jiro.

"Maybe it was too early to ask that question?" She just smiled as she looked at the clear sky above her. "But really…" Her hands balled into fists. "Did you guys have to leave me up here alone?!" She yelled it so loud it echoed.

* * *

Callings was having lunch with KIYUMI in the garden.

"Say ah Hibiki!" Rie held up her chopsticks with tamagoyaki on it.

"It's ok Rie…" He turned the other way to see Shou and Wataru in the same situation.

"You'll eat it won't you Prince?" Kiri held up her creation. Dark aura was coming out of it.

"Ah-no… I'm not hungry!" He got up and ran toward the school.

"Ah! And I wanted him to try what I made…" Kiri looked at her full lunchbox.

"I need to go to the Student Council too…" Shou said as he stood up.

"Why?"

"We're class representatives so we have to go speak to the president! Right Shou?" Hibiki looked at him strangely indicating that he should just follow his lead.

"Yeah! So we'll see you guys later ok?" They ran away too.

"That's a lie isn't it?" They all nodded at each other. They wanted to find out why Callings wanted to leave so fast so they went to look for them in the school.

"I'm finally out of that situation…" Shou and Hibiki had split up to get some time alone to think. "If I remember correctly, this is the 2nd floor so I should be near Aira's classroom-That's not it! What am I thinking?!" He was talking to himself. Then he saw the red haired girl he knew. He could see her distressful face as she ran past him. He grabbed her small hand before she got too far past him.

"Shou san?"

"What happened Aira?" He rubbed his head. "And don't try to tell me that nothing's wrong."

"But I cannot trouble you with something I did…" She turned around as her eyes drooped. He looked at her pained expression and got the answer.

"Do you think you're the one that caused Mii the pain she felt?" She looked surprised at how he knew about that.

"If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have been bullied. Yet I knew nothing about how sad she was feeling. I was to blame." Her eyes got watery as she didn't want to be the one to make herself feel bad but couldn't stop blaming herself. Her bangs covered her eyes when she looked at the floor again.

"I don't blame you at all. How would you have known about Mii's situation when she never talked to you or said anything?"

"But if I hadn't talked to Nishimura Kun…"

"Please just stop blaming yourself. I don't want that…" A teardrop fell from her right eye. She started breaking down. Shou took a step toward her and put his arm around her back. As he embraced her, Aira cried on his chest.

"I'm sorry Shou san…"

"Don't worry Aira…" They stayed in that position for a while. Seiji caught sight of Aira's red hair.

"Aira-" When he turned the corner to see Shou hugging her, he stopped waving.

"_Are those 2…?"_ His chest hurt when he saw Shou comforting Aira, who accepted his kindness. He ran away to stop his heart from feeling the pain. Mii was also hiding behind the corner.

"Why… Why did Shou san lie to comfort Harune Aira…?" She was shaking with anger. "And when I told you to stay away… Harune Aira…" She saw 2 girls whispering about Aira and Shou near the stairs and thought of a great plan. She smirked evilly.

"What going on over there? Should we tell someone?" The girls whispered.

"Nee? I was wondering if you could help me…" Mii was acting like an easily scared girl.

"Yes?"

"Well that girl hugging Miyamoto senpai has been bullying me… She wrote these things around my indoor shoes and messing up my bento." She showed them the words loser and weirdo on her white indoor shoes and the bento she purposely messed up.

"Are you ok? That's just terrible…"

"No I'm actually not… I feel like no one will be able to help me… If only people knew…"

"Don't worry! We'll help you tell people so they'll get back at her!" They ran away to tell more girls.

"Exactly what I was hoping for… Be prepared to meet your doom Harune Aira…" This was all unknown to the 2 still hugging in the hallway.

* * *

"I guess it's about time to go back?" Wataru walked past the music room to hear music. He peered in to see Mion playing the piano. It was the piano version of her own song, Switch On My Heart. She looked so peaceful making Wataru happy for her. Higuchi also came over to see his senpai peering into the music room. He could hear singing. Both boys closed their eyes as they listened to the harmony of music and lyrics.

**Bara no youni Beauty Smile****  
Mabushi sugiru Super Star****  
Kagayaiteru Shining Face****  
Dare ni mo Koe sasenai****  
Kokoro komete Angel Kiss****  
Donna toki mo… Perfect Jump****  
Mune sawagi no Sparkly Heart****  
Grow Up… Grow Up… Eien ni…**

Mion sang a slow and more beautiful way of her own song. However she stopped singing when she remembered why she even left the rooftop. The piano also stopped surprising both boys. Wataru looked again to see Mion moving the transparent curtains on the window so she could see the view outside. Her hair looked so far away as it swayed with the breeze. Wataru stepped into the room while Mion was dazed.

"I just don't get it… What's wrong with me today?" Wataru smiled.

"Really… What's wrong with the perfect supermodel today?"

"Wataru! What'd you come here for? To make fun of me?"

"No. Just wondering what's wrong with the usually perfect model I know, today. Is it Kiri's situation?"

"It's none of your business now is it? Just leave me alone! I'm not bothered by it at all!"

"You're really bad at lying aren't you Mion?"

"Why would I be bothered by it?! I'm not feeling guilty that I am the cause of her first love failing-"

"And this is what I mean. Why can't you tell me how you feel more often?"

"Then let me ask something. Why do you care so much about me not being honest? I have absolutely no reason to have to-" She was a bit cold from the window and Wataru was a bit annoyed with her attitude. He stared at her, not taking his eyes off of her.

"I just want you to be more honest. I don't want you to keep feeling the pain of the past. I don't think you are to blame Mion."

"But why?! It was true that I was in the same room with Ono-"

"I don't blame you! Is that not good enough?!"

"I was the one that made Kiri feel heartbroken! Why?!" Her fists were shaking as she looked at the floor to the side. Wataru stared at her scared and trembling figure. He stepped forward and put his hands around her back. They were hugging. He also turned her around so now her back was to the door.

"What do I have to do to make you stop hurting your own feelings?"

"Just what are you doing Wataru?! Let go of me this instant! Why are you hugging me?!" He stayed quiet as he was blushing. He couldn't really say anything. His embarrassment would be exposed if he did.

"I just want you to be happy. I don't want you to think it's always your fault. I really wish you would be a little more open your feelings. Especially…" He couldn't say the last part.

"Baka Wataru… Why are you so worried about me…?" Her heart was pounding as she realized that this was her first hug with someone of the opposite gender (besides her father). Higuchi, looking in outside, couldn't stand to see Mion hugging Wataru so he ran off. He didn't know where he should go but as long as he didn't see those 2 hugging, anywhere would've been fine.

"I don't know either…" They both blushed not sure what to say next. Even when cold air blew into the classroom, Wataru and Mion felt nothing but the warm temperature of each other.

"_Why do I suddenly feel really hot?" _Mion wondered to herself.

"_I knew this would happen so why'd I hug her?" _Wataru wondered to himself. Some girls passed by the music room.

"Chotto! Isn't that Wataru sama and Takamine Mion?"

"Why are they hugging?! My Wataru sama…" Kiri saw the 3 girls making a fuss outside the music and looked in as well. Her expression showed surprise and hurt. Her eyes widened when she saw red on Wataru's face.

"Unforgivable…" All the girls said.

"What is so good about Takamine Mion?" One of the girls remarked.

"She's just an idol!"

"Should we show her why she shouldn't act so cocky all the time?"

"Yeah!" Kiri stayed while the 3 girls went to devise a plan to get back at Mion.

"This might actually turn out well for me…" She put a finger to her curved lips. And while Aira and Mion were in heart pounding situations Rizumu was looking at herself in the mirror. The bathroom mirror reflected a girl that had a hard time smiling and concealing her feelings. She slapped her cheeks.

"You can't be like this Rizumu! Smile Smile!" She splashed water on her face. However because she was thinking back to Rie's words, she put too much water on her face making her bangs dripping wet too. "Ok… It seems I really am crazy right now…" She walked out of the bathroom to see Hibiki. She was going to call him but she couldn't find the courage to.

"_It wouldn't be fair at all to Rie… I don't want to hurt her again…" _She decided to walk in the opposite direction. However someone pulled her wrist toward them. She was going to kick the person, but stopped when she saw Hibiki. "Hibiki?!"

"Rizumu… Please stop trying to kick every person that touches you besides Aira and Mion…"

"But I have to defend myself!"

"Not when I'm here." He happily peered down to her. She felt happy at first but realized what she was doing.

"What happened to Rie? Weren't you supposed to be with her?"

"Yes… But I couldn't handle having lunch with her…" Rizumu laughed at Hibiki's troubled expression. "Finally you smiled for me…" She stopped and looked at him.

"Hibiki, what are you talking about? I've been smiling these days…"

"But they were mostly fake smiles weren't they?"

"Why-" He put a finger to his mouth. "Are you feeling down about what happened to Rie?" Rizumu was surprised to know that he also had that information.

"I'm ok! I'm still very happy and energetic!" She waved her hands everywhere to show it.

"Rizumu. Please stop pretending to be ok." He looked at her sternly. She seemed a bit hurt.

"I'm really stupid… I try to push the guilt of taking away Rie's first love to the back of my head and I end up being hated…" Her wet bangs covered her eyes as she gritted her teeth to make sure he doesn't know that she was breaking down.

"Rizumu?"

"You should go to class soon Hibiki. I'll see you later!" She turned her back and ran as fast as she could. Hibiki thought of her strange behavior and chased after her. They ran down the hallway attracting attention from the few people in the hallway. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into him.

"Don't just run off like that Rizumu…" He didn't really know that Rizumu was in his arms. Her surprised but warm face was shown inside his arms. When Hibiki realized, he blushed. "Rizumu? I just want to tell you that I don't blame you at all. It wasn't your fault ok? Rie just misunderstood…" Her eyes watered because those words made her feel happy but at the same time gave her comfort that she thought she didn't deserve.

"Why are you telling me this Hibiki? Even when I don't deserve this kind of kindness…"

"Eh?" She pounded on his chest until they both fell down.

"Why? I don't understand! I caused Rie to be sad and even forgot I knew her before! Yet you say I'm not to blame! Why?!" Her watery eyes were exposed. He touched a tear on her face. She still didn't understand why he was being so compassionate with her.

"Because you never did anything. I'm sure you were just greeting that Minami guy. What is so bad about that?" He showed Rizumu a gentle smile as an attempt to calm her down.

"Why won't you just blame me…?" Tears flooded her eyes. She covered her swollen eyes.

"Because I don't want to." He pulled her shoulder down hugging her once more. She wrapped her right arm around his left arm and let it out. Hibiki didn't seem to mind at all. Rie stepped out of the shadows behind Hibiki. She crossed her arms.

"Amamiya Rizumu… You just don't know when to get out of my way…" She heard girls talking about them.

"Why is Amamiya Rizumu with Hibiki sama?"

"Somehow it makes me really mad…"

"Let's put her in her place!" They all smirked. Rie just watched silently.

"Well maybe Amamiya Rizumu will be able to get out of my way soon…" She walked down the stairs. Ome was behind the door, hidden in the shadows.

"And it starts doesn't it?" She eyed some girls secretly taking Aira, Mion and Rizumu's shoes from their lockers. She walked to the principal's office for the remaining 10 minutes of lunch.

_**~~~~~~~~Jealousy and envy are 2 totally different feelings…~~~~~~~~**_


	9. And It Begins

**As hinted in the last chapter, Mion, Aira and Rizumu are in a pinch that happens a lot in school animes.**

"Christmas festival?" MARs asked Ome.

"We're having one next week from the 23rd to the 25th."

"That sounds like fun!" Rizumu's eyes watered with happiness.

"Right?"

"But Ome, why do you know that? We haven't heard." Mion asked. Ome glanced at the girls in Aira's class. They were whispering about them.

"Oh I just asked the principal! She seems to know the president really well!" Her voice sounded exaggerated.

"Ome? What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing! How about this? We stay after school and make up ideas for our classes' event! We aim to catch the principal's eye!" She pointed upward as her eyes sparkled.

"Mou Ome!" They all laughed together as Ome got a bad feeling with all the girls smiling in the background. As Mion, Ome and Rizumu had to return to their classroom, Aira's math class started.

"Today we are going back to very simple algebra. We'll be reviewing system of equations." The boring math teacher wrote 2 equations on the board, 2x+y=9 and 3x-y=16. "Now who can solve this?"

"We volunteer Harune san! After all as an idol she's perfect at anything right?" A girl yelled. Some girls nodded with her.

"Well then, Harune san. Please come up and give me the solution."

"Hai…" She walked up nervously. It wasn't a problem with the boys; it was more like the girls.

"I bet she can't even do this…"

"After all she's just on TV…

"She must not even be that smart!" The remarks made Aira shake with fear. Mii just crossed her legs with the look of triumph on her face. Aira knew how to do it but her uneasiness made her mind go blank. The girls just kept snickering while the boys didn't really care about the class in general. They all waited. Aira's hand shook.

"What's wrong Harune san? Can't do it?" One of the girls stood up to mock her.

"I guess she really doesn't belong in this class…" Other girls narrowed their eyes in agreement. Aira couldn't shake the feeling off. Seiji pounded his desk as he got up.

"I've been meaning to say this… But I have no idea how to solve system of equations! So can someone help me?" He smiled. Aira turned around to see him giving her a thumbs up. She felt a little better. At least one person was still her friend. She calmed down as her hand started writing on the board. With ease, she got to her solution, x=5 and y=-1. The girls in the class all huffed because their plan failed. Aira unconsciously gave Seiji a happy smile without knowing what it would trigger. His face reddened as his mouth opened. No words came out. His hands were shaking from nervousness as Aira kept her eyes on him, at least until she could tell that he was acting strange.

"I forgot about him…" Mii put her head down as she thought of how to get pass Adams Seiji.

* * *

"Takamine, please read from page 86."

"Even if he was faced with hardships, this hero never gave up. He persisted until the very end to protect his people, and sadly, died for those same people. This soldier will never be forgotten." Mion fluently recited from her English workbook.

"Excellent!" She sat down and smiled to herself.

"Isn't it obvious that she would be good at English? She's from overseas after all."

"Isn't it too conceited to act so confident when it is something you can easily do Takamine san?" It was obvious that this girl was trying to mock Mion.

"And what of it?" Mion retorted.

"It would be obvious that you can get better grades than all of us but there's no need to boast about it-"

"I wasn't-"

"To be honest, it's really annoying." Some girls said bluntly. This made everyone else in the class whisper in agreement.

"I guess that's true."

"Takamine san is just so different from all of us."

"Like a whole new world…"

"_What is this?" _Mion looked around the classroom. Everyone was whispering about her and the teacher was writing on the board. Her spine felt cold with fear. Rie pretended she didn't notice.

"_Takamine Mion wasn't my target but I guess this is a good situation too-"_ The clattering sound of a chair moving got everyone's attention.

"So what if Mion Chan is different? Why does that make her annoying?" Jiro said to the class.

"_What is he doing?! Just leave me-"_

"If you guys take the time to get to know her better, you'll see that she's not just an amazing idol but also a good person with feelings."

"What…? Why is Jiro covering for Takamine Mion?" Rie looked away. Mion blushed at all the good things he said about her in one sentence. The class went speechless after that. And around the same time,

"Can I get a volunteer to tell the class what all living things are made up of? I would like a full explanation."

"Let's volunteer Amamiya san. If she's an idol I'm sure she'd know this. After all idols are supposed to be very smart~"

"Eh? But I-"

"You're saying you can't do it? How pathetic!" The entire row by the window of the science class laughed.

"I can! It is um…" Ome eyed the girls laughing ridiculously. They stopped when they saw fire around Amy.

"What's wrong Amamiya san? Can't you say it?" Another girl mocked her. Because of all the pressure, she froze in place. Ome didn't even know what to do. If she helped Rizumu, the girls would ridicule Rizumu because she needed help from someone else. The sound of a chair hitting the floor made everyone except the teacher and Amy turn their gaze to the back of the room. Sasahara kicked the vacant seat next to his desk. And from the looks of it, he was pretty mad. He closed a notebook and threw it up. Ome caught it and gave it to Rizumu.

"I don't know how Sasahara got your notebook but here. Read from the bookmarked page. Just do it." Ome whispered to her.

"Can we have an answer?" They all started their rude remarks again. Kiri smiled.

"_Rie should be happy-"_

"Living things are all made up of cells. According to the cell theory, the cell is the basic unit of all life, all living things are made up of one or more cells, and all cells come from preexisting cells. However there are exceptions to this case. Viruses are living things but not made up of cells like the cell theory says. Also the first cell has not been found." She said reading the writing in the book.

"Correct…" The biology teacher was amazed.

"How is that possible?" Some girls muttered in disbelief. Other students in the class that didn't know their intentions, smiled and clapped for Rizumu. She looked back to Sasahara and gave him a radiant smile to how her gratitude. A tint of pink appeared on his face as he looked away. He was secretly satisfied with her reaction. Ome whistled as she rested her elbow on the desk and put her head on top of it.

"Slow… Really…" She said.

"Now I have 2 people to deal with…" Kiri shot glares at both Sasahara and Ome. Morning classes were finally over by this time. MARs met up in Aira's classroom.

"Really… I don't know what happened this morning…" Mion sighed.

"Did we do something to make everyone hate us?" MARs thought back as Seiji and Jiro looked down.

"What's wrong?" The girls asked.

"N-Nothing! We'll go buy our bread now!" They dragged Kazuya with them leaving MARs and Ome.

"Why are boys so weird?" Ome looked annoyed. The girls decided to head to the roof first.

"Today's the day you join the cooking club Zhang Amy!"

"I refuse!"

"We will not take no for an answer!"

"Put that frying pan down!" Ome was chased around the school by people with ladles, frying pans and spatulas, leaving MARs by themselves.

"Let's go up first shall we?" Mion said as they climbed the stairs. A group of 2nd years were coming down the same stairs and one stuck out their foot out. Aira tripped over her foot and fell back.

"Aira!" She didn't fall on her back but on her leg. As she tried to get up, there was a sharp pain in her right ankle causing her to fall on her

"Are you ok Aira?!" Mion and Rizumu ran down the stairs to help her. They peered up at their senpais.

"Yeah it's nothing." She smiled at them.

"Stay away from Callings." They said before they walked off.

"Great… This is bullying…"

"What do we do Mion?"

"I don't know… For now we need to get Aira's foot bandaged up or else she could seriously injure her ankle enough to not be able to do the Prism Show."

"That'd be terrible!" They helped her to the nurse's office. When they got there they saw Shou.

"What happened Aira?!" He saw Mion and Rizumu helping her to stand.

"Oh nothing! I just tripped! Mion Chan and Rizumu Chan are overreacting and saying that I need to get it treated right away."

"Are you ok? I'll help-"

"Don't worry about me Shou san! Go eat lunch with Mii Chan!"

"But-"

"Mion Chan and Rizumu Chan are here so don't worry!" She gave him a fake smile.

"Ok…" He walked away unsure of whether to believe her or not.

"Aira, why did you lie?" Mion got out the first aid kit and wrapped bandages around Aira's foot.

"I didn't really lie did I?" Aira smiled with her eyes closed.

"Stop hiding your true feelings Aira! We know you like Shou! Why do you keep supporting him with Mii?!" Rizumu yelled.

"Because… What right do I have to get in the way of pure feelings toward Shou san?"

"Then why didn't you tell him that you were bullied?"

"Bullied? Mou Mion Chan I don't think that can be considered bullying just yet…"

"Aira…"

"I guess I just don't want Shou san to worry abut me… I would feel guilty… Because he doesn't particularly like me…" Aira rubbed her watery eyes. Rizumu started tearing up too.

"I knew it too… That Hibiki never actually liked me like how I felt for him…" Rizumu covered her eyes as she cried beside Aira.

"Aira… Rizumu…" Mion felt sad as she hugged them to comfort them.

"_What about me? I like Jun san but…" _Mion started crying too. No one saw them in this state. Each girl thought of her own situation.

"_Don't let him worry…?"_ Is that really the right choice?

**~~~~~~~~Why do girls hide their feelings…? Because love makes them act ridiculous~~~~~~~~**


	10. Comfort

**This was going to be one big chapter but when I found out that this chapter took up 10 pages on Microsoft Word, let's just say I'm learning to word limit my ideas so I don't kill my lovely readers! And therefore look forward to Mion and Jiro's turn sometime later~**

**~RomanceAnimeLove28~**

**Mion: What?! Me and Higuchi?!**

**Ome: Yup! And don't worry **_**Mion Chan**_**, at least you weren't first like Rizumu and Sasahara.**

**Mion: That doesn't make me feel better… More like it makes me feel insulted…**

**Rizumu: Well it makes **_**me**_** feel worse! *blushing***

**Ome: Ara ma! Why are you blushing **_**Rizumu Chan?**_** I might have to tell Hibiki that you've been unfaithful to him… **

**Rizumu: Unfaithful?! But Hibiki doesn't-**

**Ome: Then we'll use this Fanfiction to describe all the messy love relationships between each main guy and the 6 heroines.**

**Mion: Are you implying that MARs and KIYUMI will all end up with someone?**

**Ome: Who knows? *shrugs***

**MARs: You should! **

**Ome: I'll figure it out eventually! *laughing it off* *MARs feels scared***

**Aira: How come you're not included Ome Chan? **

**Ome: Because I'm the author. *incredibly happy about this fact***

"Does anyone have any ideas for what our class should do for the Christmas festival?" Most of the students in Mion's class raised their hands.

"A puppet show!"

"A play!"

"A food booth!" Everyone shouted one idea after the other.

"Chotto! We can't do all of those things with our budget! Please vote on one thing in an orderly fashion!"

"Then let's make an eating booth while running a scary haunted house!" One boy suggested.

"How in the world are we going to do that?!" The girl class representative argued with him.

"Then let's put on a scary puppet show!" A girl yelled.

"How will that attract customers?!" None of these ideas were working.

"Then how about we combine with the rest of the first year classes and put on one big RPG game?" Higuchi stood up and asked.

"RPG game?"

"Like where the customers will come in and need to make it out to get to the prize, making one person do whatever they want for the 25th."

"Good idea…"

"How about we make them do tasks to get out of the maze?"

"And the prizes will be crystal balls with the person's image that you get to control!" Higuchi made the class silent.

"Who is going to be able to make such a thing…?" Everyone asked as Rie just shook her head.

"_Stupid Jiro… What are you thinking…?" _

"Then I have someone in mind in class 1-C that could probably pull that off." Mion said amid all the noise.

"Let's go ask the classes for confirmation right now!" Higuchi dragged Rie and Mion with him before the class representative could stop him.

"Why did you drag me along?! Go by yourself!" Rie and Mion said even though they didn't talk to each other. Jiro looked like he didn't care about what they said. They barged in on class 1-B's English class.

"Hello all! We would like you to stop in the name of the love!" Higuchi said with sparkles around his face. He wasn't making much sense since no one understood what he meant. Mion and Rie felt really embarrassed. Mion wasn't about to embarrass herself further so she stayed by the doorway. Rie didn't seem to care as long as Jiro stopped talking.

"Are you crazy?!" Rie pulled his ear so he would face her.

"Ow! Rie! What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same question! Don't drag me into this!" She stomped her foot.

"Students from 1-A… If you don't have business here please get back to class…" The teacher said trying to act nice.

"Of course we have business here! We would like to know if 1-B would collaborate with 1-A to pull of an RPG for the Christmas festival!"

"That sounded more like a command than an actual request…" Aira said, rubbing her head in confusion.

"You'll do it won't you Aira Chan?" Jiro skipped to her and held her hands as he pleaded. Seiji didn't like that scene. He got up and tore their hands apart.

"Seiji kun?"

"What are you doing Seiji?" Jiro asked him, for getting in the way of his plan to get Aira to say yes.

"We will participate in the RPG as long as you don't do that Aira Chan. She's fragile you know Jiro." He looked at him seriously.

"Hai! We'll be taking our leave now that he said yes!" He dragged the girls down next door.

"_Hm… Adams might have a thing for Harune Aira… I can use that to get Shou san to like me…" _Mii thought to herself.

"Why is everything revolving around Harune Aira… It's irritating…" Girls in the class used their usual bullying methods. Seiji eyed them showing he knew what they were doing.

"It's probably just because Aira Chan was next to the door." He said in a strong tone. It didn't sound like his usually playful tone that resembled Jiro's voice.

"Why did we agree to that Adams?!" A guy shot up from his seat.

"Well it sounded like fun and if we all work as one bug team, we'l have more budget to work with."

"Yeah but…"

"Besides, when do we get to perform a real life RPG? It could be fun. And since I'm class representative of 1-B that shouldn't be a problem now should it ?"

"Ok…" Aira looked at a happy Seiji.

"_Seiji kun… There are so many things I don't know abut him… I hope to get to know him better!" _Aira smiled as Seiji smiled as he looked at her from the corner of his eye. He was happy that she was happy. And during this happy scene, Jiro opened the door to 1-C's math class.

"The answer is-" The door shuffling open interrupted Rizumu's answer.

"Hello all! Stop in the name of-"

"Give it a rest!" Rie smacked Jiro in the back of the head to stop him from finishing the phrase.

"Rie! I'm trying to act jolly to get them to want to join us!"

"Jolly my foot! You're scaring them away! Jiro-baka!"

"What are you talking about?! They should be overjoyed to do the RPG with us!"

"Can't you see?! They're never going to say yes if you keep acting like a weirdo!" As they argued everyone sighed.

"They're even more annoying than Amamiya…" The girls whined.

"What?!" Rizumu stood up. Ome touched her shoulder and just shook her head. Rizumu tried to ignore their comments.

"Students of 1-A please get back to class! We're in 2nd period right now!" The male teacher of 1-C yelled.

"Wait! We would like class 1-C to participate in an RPG game with us 1-A for the Christmas festival!"

"Stop the commands and ask nicely!" Rie said pouting that he was ignoring her.

"Really Yukimura and Higuchi… Stop acting like a married couple and ask normally-" She got cut off by a raging Prism Star. Ome's eyes fell on a scary Rizumu.

"We're not married! How could I like this weirdo that can't even ask for a favor?!"

"Well I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with a pouting woman. You should really smile more Rie. If you don't lighten up you might end up old and crinkly soon."

"Jiro!" He happily got chased around the room by Rie.

"Kora! Higuchi! Rie! You interrupted me!"

"I don't care!" Rie refused to look Rizumu in the eye.

"The Christmas festival?" The teacher and Ome asked.

"Right! Well 1-B and 1-A are going to collaborate and do a RPG game where the customers have to fulfill tasks in a maze. If they get out, they win. The prizes will be a crystal ball you pick that shows the person you get to control for the 25th. The entire day!"

"Entire day?!" Everyone was getting pumped up.

"And? Who's making those 'crystal balls'?" Ome eyed Higuchi.

"We'll figure that out later! Ome, let's do the RPG!" Rizumu said. Ome was trying to get out of this situation.

"Oh- Hello Mion!" She waved to Mion blissfully showing that she's trying to avoid Rizumu's begging methods. Mion just shook her head.

"So will you do it?" Many people were nodding their heads and looking at Ome. She thought of it and smirked.

"Nee? Since it's a game, we can get the customers to do anything right?" A blizzard blew through the room.

"Of course~"

"Then sure! Now are you guys planning on making me create those crystal balls?" She gave them a happy smile.

"Yeah…" They were trying to inch away from Ome.

"Sure~ Why not?" She sighed making even Mion smile.

"Then we will all work on it tomorrow ok?!" He ran away in a hurry with Mion and Rie.

"Do you want to stay after school and see all the clubs again?"

"Sorry Ome! I actually want to look around the sports clubs by myself! And Aira joined the Fashion Club while Mion joined the chorus."

"And why so suddenly?"

"I don't know. But we can meet up after school around 4:30 ok?"

"Sure~ I guess I'll go make sweets in the home economics room again."

"With your cooking skills, why don't you join the cooking club?"

"Because they scare me! How am I supposed to say yes to people whose look in their eyes change when they hold a spatula or frying pans?! Especially the 3rd years…"

"You're over-exaggerating but I can't wait for your sweets Ome!"

"Hai Hai! I'll make sure to put a lot of dark chocolate in your portion Rizumu!"

"Uso!"

"Joking~"

"Kora! Zhang! Stop talking!" The math teacher threw chalk at her intending to hit her face. She swiftly caught it.

"Sensei, have you no manners? You must throw the chalk like this!" She twirled the chalk and threw it back at him only to have it bounce off his head that had one hair on it. That one hair slid off.

"Oh no! My pride and joy!" He was looking at his completely bald head through a hand held mirror.

* * *

"See you later!" The 4 girls parted ways after the bell rang. Rizumu walked on the sidewalk near the tennis fields. 3 girls blocked Rizumu's way as she walked to the soccer fields.

"Hey. We need to talk." The older girls motioned for Rizumu to follow them.

"What is it?"

"We've sit back and let it slide but really you are annoying even if you aren't with Hibiki."

"Why don't you transfer out?"

"Why should I transfer just because you say it? And why can't I be near Hibiki?"

"Because Hibiki belongs to everyone. Stop acting so stuck up!"

"The stuck up ones are you guys senpais! What do you think you know about Hibiki?!" The middle girl slapped Rizumu. She stared at them in surprise as she covered the red mark. Rizumu couldn't tell what hurt more, the slap or the words coming out of their mouths.

"Don't get so cocky just because you do the Prism Show with him! You can't just go and monopolize him when you feel like it!"

"I don't!"

"And now you want to deny it? We heard from Yukimura Rie! You're nothing but a phony that joined the Prism Show to get close to Hibiki and win his heart over!"

"It's not true! I joined because I honestly love the Prism Show and wanted to get mama back!" Hibiki turned the corner to see Rizumu arguing with the girls. When he saw that the girl was ready to hit Rizumu, he jumped in and grabbed her hand.

"What's going on here?" He put put her hand down as he defended Rizumu.

"Hibiki sama?! No it's not-"

"Get to the point! What is going on here?!"

"We just wanted to talk to Amamiya san!" They ran away before he got anything else out of them.

"Are you ok Rizumu?" She backed away when Hibiki tried to touch the bruise on her face.

"I'm ok. It's nothing. They asked me a few questions and I just said something rude!" She rubbed her head.

"Then why is there a mark on your cheek? What really happened?"

"Really Hibiki! I just accidentally slapped myself when I was trying to get it together!"

"Rizumu…"

"Anyway… I have something to do so I'll be leaving now ok?" She ran off without looking him in the eye.

"Why won't you tell me what's going on…?" Rizumu ran down the sidewalk until she got to the place above the soccer field. She was frustrated but had no urge to cry.

"_I am just so stupid…" _She sat down and stared into the sky.

"Nee? Do you have any intention to join our soccer team?" A group of girls peered down at Rizumu.

"No. I-"

"Just give it a try!" They pulled her down and brought her to their team captain.

"Hey isn't it that girl?"

"Yeah the one that takes advantage of Hibiki sama…" Rizumu hated hearing those remarks but the team captain didn't seem to notice them at all.

"Amamiya san would you like to try to be goalkeeper for this team?"

"No I-"

"Hm… So you can't even do this~"

"Of course I can! I'll show you."

"Then, we, the soccer team will test your abilities right now." Some girls smiled secretly. Rizumu didn't have a good feeling about this but went along with it anyway. She stood at the goal and waited. The team captain kicked a soccer ball down the middle of the goal, which Rizumu caught with very little effort. The girls each went one by one. Rizumu caught all the soccer balls until some of the girls decided to cheat. 2 girls kicked 2 soccer balls at the same time. Rizumu successfully intercepted one of them but the other hit her leg. She slumped down because her leg.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" The team captain said to the girls that just broke the rules to this exercise. They didn't care and still kicked soccer balls at Rizumu. One hit her arm and the other hit her stomach.

"Cut it out!" Rizumu called with some strength left. They didn't listen to anyone and kicked again. Sasahara sped in and kick one ball back at them, caught one ball and let the other go into the goal after he positioned Rizumu away from it. The soccer ball didn't hurt the girls that it got kicked back to, barely missing their faces.

"Sasahara…?"

"What do you people think you're doing?" He kneeled down to help Rizumu.

"Sorry! We didn't mean to so this! It should've been one ball at a time but these 2 girls got out of hand and kicked too many balls for Amamiya san to catch!" The team captain bowed as she apologized.

"If that's the case then they should be off the soccer team."

"What?! It was just-" The girls tried to reason out their actions.

"Our school doesn't need people that break rules to represent it at soccer competitions. I advise you two to shape up before you guys get yourselves expelled." He picked up a dizzy Rizumu and walked away.

"You guys should repent on what you did. I think you should quit the soccer team for now."

"But captain that girl was monopolizing Hibiki-"

"And how does that justify what you did?! If he hadn't come, Amamiya san would've probably gotten seriously injured, enough to get her into the hospital! And that would've been all your faults!"

"What would you do if the person you loved was with another girl?!"

"I would watch him from afar! I wouldn't dare to hurt the girl he likes because that would be hurting him! Now please leave the field! Your actions have disgraced our school and the soccer team!" They walked away. Sasahara took Rizumu to the nurse's office to get bandaged up.

"Ah! Sasahara kun! What brings you here today?" The nurse, Fumie Sensei asked him.

"This one. Help bandage her up." He looked down at a half asleep Rizumu.

"Ma Sasahara kun! For you to bring a girl-"

"I'm ok! If I rest a little I'll be fine!" He stared down at her. His amber colored eyes made Rizumu unable to say no.

"Ok! Just leave it to me! Sasahara kun get out ok?" She kicked him out (literally) as she started bandaging Rizumu.

"Chotto!"

"Just leave all the injuries to me!"

"Oi! What are you doing Sensei?!" By the time he went back in, Rizumu was sleeping. He looked at her face.

"If you want I can leave you 2 alone! After all a couple-"

"What?! Stop joking around!"

"See you later! Don't do anything strange to her!" She dashed out of her office. He sat by her bedside and thought to himself.

"_Why didn't I deny it? Whatever. I probably just didn't have time."_ He reached to pinch her face. She opened her eyes which made Sasahara leap back, trying to act like he wasn't going to do anything to her.

"Sasahara why are you here?"

"No reason. The nurse said she needed someone to look after you while she went on an errand." It was obvious that it was a lie.

"Mou Sasahara you don't need to lie." She laughed slightly.

"Anyway what were you doing being a goalkeeper to the soccer team?"

"Well I didn't want to join at first but then when they said I couldn't accomplish it…"

"And being your hot-headed self, you said you could do it."

"Hot-headed is too much!"She pouted.

"Ok. Fine. Then tell me what happened to your face." He pointed to the pink mark that didn't disappear from Rizumu's left cheek.

"It's nothing." She turned away as she touched the bruise. He pulled her face toward him. She thought he was going to do something weird.

**Kazuya: And just what do you take me for Zhang?!**

**Ome: Oh you took it as an insult? It was actually a compliment! **

**Kazuya: There's no way I'd… *blushing***

**Ome: Oh really? And here I thought-**

**Kazuya: There's no way I could kiss Amamiya!**

**Ome: Who said I was talking about kissing? *smirking***

**Kazuya: Zhang! You set me up!**

**Ome: Ara ma! Why would I do that? *innocently feigning ignorance***

**Kazuya: Don't try to get out of this one! *chases Ome around***

"No!" She felt a cold sensation on her skin that made her jump back. When she opened her eyes, she saw a slightly blushing Sasahara with an ice pack in his hand.

"It looked like it hurt."

"Thanks Sasahara…" He put the ice pack on her bruise again.

"You can talk about whatever you want. No one's here besides me." Her facial expression darkened.

"I wanted to be happy here. I wanted to laugh and smile with Aira and Mion here. I wanted to chat more with our class. I wanted to experience normal school life. But I never thought I would get myself into this…"

"Get into what?"

"My love for the Prism Show should've been obvious to all the people that watch me jump with all my energy… But people have misunderstood my intentions… I didn't join the Prism Show to get close to Hibiki… I just wanted to get mama back and be a happy family again…"

"Did a girl hit you because of that?"

"No! It's not like that! I wasn't bullied! I'm ok!" But when he felt hot water on his hand, he knew that she was lying.

"_Why is she so stupid?" _He looked at her tears. They were increasing. When she looked up, he was surprised. It was the first time where he saw her cry so much. Her eyes drooped as large tears flooded her face. But she still looked like she was trying to endure all the pain she went through because she was gritting her teeth. She gripped the sheets.

"_Why can't she just break down like a normal girl…? Why is she still trying so hard to stop crying?" _

"Why are you crying?" He tried to act calm with her.

"Why…? When I try so hard to get people to love the Prism Show like me… Why do people hate me because I'm next to Hibiki…? And when I try to stay away from him…"

"Are you staying away from him because you don't want to get bullied for it or for another reason?"

"I don't know… But I can't stop these tears… Why Sasahara?" He didn't know the answer. He felt bad that he didn't know how to answer her.

"_She's an idol… She's supposed to be someone I don't want to concern myself with… So why do I feel bad…" _He put his arm around her head.

"I can't understand why you're acting this way… But…" He didn't even know what he was saying anymore.

"Sorry Sasahara… For being…"

"Un…" He just sat there and let her cry on his chest.

"_Don't think anything of the strawberry smell of her hair… Wait- I shouldn't know this!"_

"_So this is the temperature of a boy… It's warm…"_ Hibiki passed by the nurse's office because he thought Rizumu would be there since she had a bruise on her face. His eyes widened.

"Was I too late? Has she fallen for him already?!" He punched the wall in frustration. Even the calm Hibiki felt flustered seeing Rizumu like this.

* * *

Aira was walking to the fashion club but stopped when she heard voices in the club room..

"Should we really be doing this?"A girl whispered to her friends.

"We need to show her what happens when someone gets close to Shou sama and bullies another girl that's innocent."

"_They couldn't be talking about me right…?" _

"I heard! Harune Aira is actually bullying Yamanishi Mii in her class!"

"_What?! But I didn't do anything mean to Mii Chan! Who said such a thing?" _She heard the sound of a marker squeaking and peeked in. The girls were vandalizing all the pretty fabric and dresses the fashion club worked so hard to put together.

"Please stop! The fashion club worked hard on those clothes!"

"Hm… So Harune Aira is here…"

"Please! Don't hurt the clothes anymore!"

"Why should we listen to you? You bullied someone else didn't you? Well how does it feel to be bullied back?" A drawn on cerulean blue dress was in one of the girls's hands. She ripped it right down the middle.

"No!" They threw the messed up fabric to Aira.

"It wasn't that pretty anyway. Why are you getting so worked up?"

"She worked hard on this! Mimi Chan in 1-A worked hard on this dress!"

"I don't care who she is." She said flatly.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you at all…" The girls wanted to mess up some more fabric to make fun of Aira. They ripped a green ruffle top to think strips.

"No! Stop!" Aira leaped to get the marker only to get pushed and having her arm hit the wall.

"Hey! This wasn't part of the plan!" A girl whispered to the girl that threw Aira on the wall.

"Don't think this is the end. You deserve so much more pain and humiliation than just this." They walked out leaving a despairing Aira to pick up all the fabric that was ruined.

"I'm sorry… It's my fault… I really am weak…" She started crying as she looked down at the clothes that her club worked so hard to sew and create. A teardrop fell on the floor. Aira touched her own face to see that she really was crying. Seiji came across the open club room and saw Aira sitting there.

"Ah! Aira-" He paused when he saw what she was doing. Something shiny was falling from her face. He saw the ruined clothes in her hand. "Aira Chan! What's wrong?!" He ran in and turned her around so she would face him. A depressed Aira looked at him.

"Seiji kun… What do I do…? I couldn't stop these clothes from being ruined…" He looked at the black marks and rips on the fabric.

"This is terrible… Who did this?"

"It's my fault… I wasn't strong enough to stop them from vandalizing these clothes…"

"It can't be your fault Aira Chan!"

"It has to be my fault! I could've saved these clothes but because I was too weak, I was no match for those girls!" She looked at him with eyes that showed true pain. He looked at her hand holding her right arm.

"What happened Aira Chan?" She knew he was looking at her arm.

"Nothing! I just felt like holding onto my arm!" Seiji stared at her for signs of lying. He pulled up her sleeve to see a big gray bruise on her arm.

"This can't be anything! Why did you hide this for this long?!"

"I'm sorry…" She looked like she was going to cry again. He rubbed his head.

"Sorry sorry Aira Chan… I didn't mean it that way… It's just that I'm afraid one day you will have so much pain inside of you that eventually you won't be able to voice them out to anyone ever again…" He used his hand to wipe a tear off her face.

"But why do you…"

"Because I like Aira Chan." He smiled at her. She sat there, surprised. More tears came down her cheeks. She let out a cry. "Why are you crying Aira Chan?! You must not like being liked by me right?! Ah!"

"I like Seiji kun too!" She said in between hiccups. He wrapped his arms around her back.

"_Eh?! What's going on?" _He could feel her trembling in his arms.

"_If only I could always make her feel better… I hope she doesn't break in my arms…" _He squeezed harder making her feel like she's dying.

"Seiji kun…" He finally released her when he realized how tight he held her. She was coughing from lack of oxygen.

"Ah! Aira Chan!"

"Seiji kun… Why did you do that?" She didn't look mad, just confused at his ridiculous behavior toward her. There was an awkward silence.

"I don't know… I guess I wanted to comfort you…" He blushed as he looked away.

**The reason Seiji thought he was reddening and the reason Aira came up with didn't match. (Just a Side Note to Readers from Ome~)**

"Really thank you Seiji kun!" Her lips curved into a smile.

"Ah! What's wrong with me?!"

"Eh? Seiji kun?"

"Why do I feel the urge kiss Aira Chan?!" He was holding his head like he was out of his mind. Aira stood there with no pupils in her eyes. She needed time to process that thought.

"Hai?!" She fidgeted around as Seiji did the same. He finally stopped confusing himself when he grabbed Aira's left arm. She stopped and looked at him worried about what would happen next. He brought his head down to her eye level. He looked into her eyes. There was no tint of pink anywhere on his face.

"_I've never seen Seiji kun like this…" _She looked into his serious face. His bright yet deep red eyes made her feel dazed. As he moved closer to her, she didn't notice his actions at first. When she finally blinked she realized how close he was to her.

"_What is this?! Is he about to k-kiss me-?!"_ Her eyes kept blinking as she tried to get out of his grip. She couldn't and the closer he got to her, the more she got scared.

"Seiji kun!" He was listening to her and at the same time he wasn't. He turned his head left which was Aira's right.

_Ah! He's not listening!" _She grabbed his uniform's sleeve hoping he'd stop. That brought some sense to him. He instead kissed Aira's hair.

"Just kidding!" He gave her a playful grin.

"Eh?!"

"What? Did you actually want me to give you a kiss Aira Chan?"

"No that's not it Seiji kun!" He went and made her go red again.

"Well now that you seem to be in a better mood, let's go get your arm bandaged up."

"I guess this should be enough for now." Ome stared at 5 cakes, 2 batches of cookies and 1 batch of brownies. She wrapped everything in 9 different bags and ran out of the home economics room to give them out. She passed by Aira and Seiji first.

"Hi Aira! Adams!"

"Ome Chan! What are you doing here?"

"I finished all the sweets and I'm going around giving them out." She handed a pink ribbon to Aira and a yellow ribbon to Adams.

"I get one too?"

"Of course. Take it as a thanks for helping sweet and lovely Aira all the time."

"Ome Chan!" She was embarrassed by that statement.

"O ya? Why are you red Aira Chan? Adams what strange thing did you do to Aira? Perhaps you chickened out and didn't do it is the problem?" She looked like she had fun investigating what happened to them.

"That's not it! Nothing happened?"

"I love how your reactions say otherwise." She said back.

"Ome Chan!" They both yelled.

"Anyway have fun going home today ok? Adams I'm counting on you to protect Aira."

"Hai…?"

"Mou Ome Chan! It's not like anything will happen to me! And you're not coming with us today?"

"I have some business to take care of today so you guys go home first ok? I'll tell Mion and Rizumu for you!" She ran off before they could respond.

**~~~~~~~~Only you can decide who you really want to be comforted by~~~~~~~~**


	11. Progressing Gap

"What should I do now?" Shou asked to himself.

"Ah! Shou!" Ome came around the corner holding the sweets.

"Amy? What are you doing here? Where's MARs?" He looked around nervously.

"Shou just admit that you wanted to ask where Aira was."

"No! That's not it! That's definitely not it!"

"No use trying to explain yourself to me. Here." She gave him a goodie bag wrapped with a brown ribbon.

"Thanks but you know I-"

"Don't like sweets? Of course I know that. I made it with less sugar just for you, Hibiki and Sasahara."

"Sasahara?" He was trying to recall who that was.

"I guess the only freshman you have a problem with is Adams Seiji." She shrugged.

"Who said I had a problem with him?!" He yelled. He let some steam out as he sighed. "Putting that aside, have you seen Aira?"

"Yeah." He stared at her twitching his eyebrow.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"See, you did want to know where Aira was."

"Amy…" He was starting to get annoyed.

"I did see her and gave sweets as well. She was with someone else but I'm not telling you who that is, yet. She went home already just in case you wanted to walk her home."

"Who ever said that?!" He blushed.

"I guess I was thinking too much?"

"What are you planning on doing after this?"

"Finding everyone else and giving them these bags. What are you going to do?"

"I'll wait for Hibiki and Wataru."

"Oh? They joined clubs?"

"I finished all my work as treasurer of the student council. Hibiki's running errands as vice-president and Wataru joined the Theater Club."

"He was interested in acting?"

"No. I think he was forced to join by girls that couldn't find me or Hibiki to join."

"Aren't you 2 just wonderful friends?" She shook her head.

"What were we supposed to do? The girls wouldn't give up! I had to hide under a table and Hibiki had to hide next to a garbage can to get away from them!"

"Oh? If only I could've been there!" She snapped her fingers. It was obvious that she was mad that she missed a chance to take those pictures.

"I think it's actually better that you didn't take those pictures…"

"Anyway, go get Wataru and wait for me and Hibiki by the gate ok?"

* * *

"Was that Ome's voice I just heard?" Mion wondered out loud. She was walking to the auditorium to practice her singing. She was looking at her foot movements and humming to herself at the same time.

"Oi, Takamine Mion." She looked up to see 5 girls that looked ready to bully her. In a way she didn't really care. She was more annoyed than ever. Her eyes squinting showed that.

"What's wrong? Scared to see us?"

"Oh? That's what you think of yourself?" Mion purposely tried to annoy them.

"Hey! Don't act so high and mighty!"

"I'm not. What about you _senpai_? Needing to bring 4 other girls with you to badmouth me. Are you that cowardly?"

"Shut up!" She tried to slap Mion but she dodged it as if she were dancing.

"Hey… Isn't this getting bad? Harune Aira and Amamiya Rizumu were easy but…"

"_What did these girls do to Aira and Rizumu?" _

"What'd you girls do to Aira and Rizumu?" Her facial expression showed that she wasn't joking anymore.

"Nothing…"

"Oh really?" She grabbed a girl by the collar. "Mind telling me the truth?"

"It wasn't us! Some girls from the soccer team injured Amamiya and some 3rd years ripped up the clothes of the fashion club!" Mion let go. She was surprised that she didn't know any of this.

"We weren't in the wrong!" They all ran away as Mion slumped down. She stared at the floor in surprise.

"What kind of friend am I…?" Jiro came around the corner to see the face of a stunned Mion. He approached her slowly wondering what could have gotten into her.

"Mion Chan…?" She didn't answer him. When he sat in front of her she started to tear up. "Huh?!"

"Higuchi what do I do…?"

"A-About what?"

"I'm such a bad friend to Aira and Mion! What do I do?" He never saw her cry like this.

"It's ok-" He reached to pat her head.

"No it isn't!" She punched him in the knuckles. He needed a few seconds to react.

"Ow!" He was holding his hand as she started panicking.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" She pulled him toward the nurse's office 3 doors down.

"Higuchi Kun now?" The nurse sighed.

"Hai?" They didn't know what she was talking about.

"Sasahara was just here with a cute girl. Amamiya chan really is cute! What if they become a couple…?" She started laughing. Hearing about Rizumu coming to the nurse's office didn't exactly make Mion feel better. When Higuchi saw Mion's eyes droop, he tried to get her mind off of it.

"Fumie Sensei! I got punched and it hurts!"

"Ara, you got into a fight Higuchi Kun?"

"No… I was the one that punched him…"

"Ma! You guys were in a fight?"

"That's not it! Fumie Sensei please help me!"

"Sorry I have to go on another errand so… Takamine Chan you help him!" She dashed out of her chair.

"Are you ok? How bad is it? Let me see!" Higuchi pictured roses in the atmosphere as he was in a position where he could lean down and kiss Mion's hair.

"_No! How would I ever explain it if I do it?!"_ Mion looked annoyed that he was shaking his head like he was crazy.

"Mou! Stay put so I can bandage your hand!" She put both of her hands on his face.

"But if I do that…" He went red.

"Just stay put until I've bandaged your hand. It looks like it really hurts…" She put the first aid kit on the table and took out some bandages and surgeon tape to hold the bandages. Higuchi smiled at how hard she was trying to help him.

"Thank you Mion Chan…" He smiled at her as she looked up.

"What are you talking about? It's my fault that you had to be treated… And it's all my fault anyway…" He stretched her cheeks.

"You expect me to believe that?! Mion Chan, you can't beat yourself up for things you didn't cause. I'm at fault this time ok?"

"You're not! Just let me be!" She slapped her own cheeks. He stopped her with both of his hands even if one hurt.

"What's gotten into you Mion Chan?!" Hearing him yell made her feel even worse. Her eyes burned as she started crying.

"I'm still not good enough at this point… I don't deserve such good friends…"

"Why…? Mion Chan…"

"I didn't know that Aira and Rizumu were being bullied to the point where they were tearing up… What kind of friend am I if I don't even know that?"

"I guess that is a bad friend…" He said softly. She started tearing up even more.

"I don't need you to tell me that!" He hugged her.

"But that doesn't mean you can't make it all better now does it?" She didn't say anything because she wouldn't stop turning red and blinking. "What's wrong Mion Chan?" He let go of her.

"It's not 'What's wrong Mion Chan'! Why did you suddenly hug me?!" She gripped his hand as she got out the bandages again.

"Ow! I'm trying to help so be a little more gentle Mion Chan!"

"I don't want to." She wrapped the bandages around his hand tightly and sealed it with the surgeon tape. She gave it a pat to check if it was tight enough.

"Mion Chan!" She laughed. When she finished she got up.

"I don't say this often so listen carefully Higuchi." She opened the door and turned his way as she put a hand on the wall. "I'll try harder." There was a small smile on her face. It was a genuine smile. She ran off right after.

"_Isn't that a bit unfair Mion Chan?" _He covered his mouth with the back of his hand from embarrassment. _"Wait… What was it that she said?" _

"Mion Chan! What's that supposed to mean?!" She could hear him down the hallway. Her mouth curved into a secret smile.

"Ah! Mion!" Ome came up the stairs.

"Ome?"

"The one and only. Here." She handed her a goodie bag wrapped with purple ribbon.

"T-Thanks…"

"Mion? Did you fall on your head?"

"Of course not! Why would you even think of that?!"

"Because something's off about you… You're really nice right now…"

"I'm always nice! Mou!"

"And that's the real Mion I know. What? Did Higuchi do something to you?"

"He didn't do anything! He really didn't hug me!" She was slapping air as her voice got louder.

"Ah I see… Then Mion, here's a question for you. How would you feel if Wataru knew about this?"

"Y-You're not planning to tell him are you?!"

"I might. But then again… Isn't the person you don't want to know about this most of all Jun?"

"That's right…"

"_Then why am I…?" _

"Alright. Don't worry. It was just a question." She sighed.

"Ome? What did you mean by that?"

"Nothing. I was just asking."

"That's got to be a lie!"

"Say whatever you want! Go meet up with Aira and Rizumu while you still have a chance!" She start running.

"You heard our conversation didn't you?!"

"Who could you be talking about?"

"Spying is unfair Ome!"

"I don't spy _Mion Chan_! It's called passing by!"

"Get back here Ome!"

"No way! If you want to know where Aira and Rizumu are, Rizumu's with Sasahara on the 2nd floor and Aira's by the gate!" Mion chased her down the stairs only to lose sight of her.

"Mou! Why can't I ever catch up to her?!" But as she peered out the window Ome was right. Rizumu and Sasahara were chatting near the window in the hallway of the 3rd floor. As Mion caught a glimpse of a bandage on Rizumu's face, she felt like rushing to her. But before she could do that, she saw Aira running back to the school's entrance. She decided just to go to Aira first and dashed down a floor to meet her at the entrance. And she succeeded.

"Mion Chan?!" They almost bumped headfirst into each other.

"Aira! Are you okay?!" She grabbed her arm. Aira flinched because she felt pain. Mion let go immediately.

"What's wrong Mion Chan?"

"I'm sorry Aira. Did you get hurt there?"

"I'm ok now! Seiji Kun bandaged it up for me so it'll heal in no time!"

"That's good…"

"And since you're here, Mion Chan, let's go get Rizumu Chan and Ome so we can all go home together!" She pulled her arm as they ran into the school together.

"Aira! Can we go find Rizumu? I want to talk to you guys about something…"

"Sure!" They raced down the hallway and found Sasahara and Rizumu coming toward them. Mion and Aira grabbed both of Rizumu's arms in unison.

"A re?" She didn't know what they were doing.

"Sorry Sasahara Kun! We'll be borrowing Rizumu Chan for a little bit so you can wait there until we're done talking ok?" Aira said, not sounding like her usually shy self.

"Chotto! What's wrong you 2?!" They finally stopped when they went into the music room. Mion faced the 2 of them.

"Aira, Rizumu. I'm sorry for being a terrible friend." She bowed her head at them.

"_Mion Chan_... What is this all about?" They both asked scared at her sudden change in behavior.

"Is it so wrong for me to apologize?!" She covered her mouth because those words came out of her mouth from anger, not what she really wanted to say. "Sorry that's not what I meant to say… I'm sorry that I didn't know that you 2 were bullied…"

"Ya ne! Mion Chan! We weren't bullied!" They laughed in unison.

"Why do you keep denying it?!" She punched the floor as she slumped down.

"But-"

"Why do you refuse to admit it to me, your best friend?!" They reached to help her up.

"Mion Chan-"

"I want you guys to depend on me not keep these things from me so I don't worry!" They started feeling bad too. Sasahara came around the corner and leaned on the wall near the door.

"_Why do girls have so many problems…?" _

"My sentiments exactly." Ome appeared right in front of his face. He was going to open his mouth to say something but she covered his mouth.

"_What are you doing here? And let go of my mouth!"_

"_Weren't you supposed to wait around the corner? What are YOU doing here Sasahara?" _Her facial expression gave him a pretty good idea of what she was thinking. She released his mouth when he looked like he was suffocating.

"Zhang! Are you trying to kill me?!" He whispered enough to make her feel irritated.

"Not really. I have a question for you, that's why I'm here."

"Another riddle?"

"They're normal questions Sasahara! Anyway, what do you think of Toudou Hibiki Kun?"

"What do you want me to tell you?" He was trying to annoy her.

"Your honest opinion _Sasahara Kun_." The menacing aura around her pressured him.

"He's too much of the type that everyone likes. In short he's annoying and too nice."

"Are you referring to him being too nice and hurting Rizumu in the process?"

"Who ever said that-"

"Keep your voice down!"

"Then you stop the weird remarks!"

"Ok fine. Then just what is your relationship with Rizumu?"

"We're classmates." He said bluntly.

"Then why'd you hug her?" He jumped from surprise and embarrassment.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Don't try to deny it! I saw it with my own 2 eyes!"

"That's not proof!"

"Oh? You're asking for proof? I have it right here." She pulled out pictures that showed a calm expression on his face as Rizumu was being held in his arms. He froze.

"_This girl… When did she…?" _

"There's no need to know when and where I saw that."

"Zhang!"

"Hai?"

"Never mind… Say whatever you want about our relationship…"

"Then you guys are more than friends right?"

"Stop lying!"

"Ok I was joking. Anyway. Here. For you and Rizumu." She threw 2 bags at him; One tied with cerulean blue ribbon and the other tied with a black ribbon.

"Since you're here why don't you give it to her?"

"Sorry but I've got other business to take care of. And so… Have fun walking the girls home ok?!" She ran off before he could protest. He looked down at the bags and a note fell out.

_I know that as her friend I should be with her to protect from the bullying but I have to get something straightened out with the senpai you don't like and his friends. Until all of this is under my control, I hope you will protect Rizumu when I'm not around._

"Fine…" He walked around the corner and waited.

"We're sorry Mion/Mion Chan! We didn't know it hurt you so much!" They fell down too.

"To tell the truth, I really wanted to tell someone that I was lonely and needed someone there to support me! But because I was so weak, I felt that if I did people around me would come to hate me because I would be too reliant on them!" Aira spoke the truth as she covered her watery eyes.

"I'm sorry too Mion! I didn't want to tell you because I was so worried that you'd hate me for being so weak! I thought that if you didn't know… We would be happy friends forever!"

"Baka Aira! Baka Rizumu! I wanted to be a better friend to you 2! I wanted to be there to comfort you and be there for you guys forever!"

"We're sorry…" Tears flooded their eyes as they let out cries too. Mion went over and hugged the 2 of them. They hugged her back too.

"You guys are and always will be my best friends! You 2 were the only 2 that reached out to me when I was still a lonely super model. You became my friends even when I was stuck up and made you angry so you would leave me alone! I really value our friendship! So please…"

"Mion Chan…"

"I don't want to drift away from you guys… So please… Tell me whenever I'm doing something wrong or when you're in pain... I'll help you in any way I can… So don't break ties with-" The words coming out of her mouth made her cry.

"We would never be able to break off ties with you Mion Chan." Aira said as Rizumu agreed with her.

"You're always going to be our most important best friend!" Rizumu yelled as she put a hand on Mion's shoulder to reassure her.

"Thank you Aira, Rizumu… Please promise me this though." She wiped away her tears and looked at them seriously. They stared back at her waiting for her request. "Please promise me that from now on, we won't hide our true feelings from each other. No matter what."

"Mion/Mion Chan…" They looked confused by the promise she proposed.

"I know it's something hard to promise since we're all in the habit of hiding our feelings but I want to try! Friends share how they feel with each other and help each other overcome any obstacles that get in the way of becoming even better friends! I want to be that kind of friend to Aira and Rizumu who supported me no matter what!"

"We want to be that kind of friend to you too Mion Chan/Mion! We promise!"

"Aira… Rizumu…" They uncovered their cheer bracelets.

"We'll promise on our friendship won't we Rizumu Chan, Mion Chan?"

"Un!" Aira put her hand in the middle, followed by Rizumu. Mion put her hand on top of Rizumu's hand. As the girls reconciled, Higuchi looked in on what they were doing. As Mion slammed the door open, he jumped back.

"Higuchi?!" She was embarrassed to see him so soon.

"Hai?" He didn't know what was going on at all.

"Ah! Higuchi/Higuchi Kun!" Aira and Rizumu appeared behind Mion.

"What a coincidence!"

"Honto ni ne! Let's all go home together since you're here!"

"Sure…" As the girls walked out he stood there for a few seconds. He also got a note from Ome.

_When Hyuuga Wataru and I aren't around, protect Mion. _

"_What exactly does she mean by this?" _He continued to stare at the note while he walked behind the girls. The corner of Sasahara and Higuchi's eyes met.

"Yo _Kazuya_!" He waved. Sasahara just glared back.

"Nee? Since Higuchi can call you Kazuya can I too? It's easier that way!" Rizumu looked at him like a little girl begging for a toy from her father.

"Suit yourself." He said as he turned around. Aira looked at him and saw a tint of red.

"_Does Sasahara Kun like Rizumu Chan?"_ Aira didn't seem to like the idea. Mion also realized how he felt toward Rizumu.

"_Knowing Rizumu, she hasn't noticed anything at all..." _

"Let's go home now shall we everyone?" Aira and Mion pushed them all out of the school. Seiji was waiting at the gate.

"Aira Chan! Did you find your handkerchief?"

"Hai! Thanks for waiting!" She happily conversed with him making Rizumu and Mion realize something too.

"_Aira really is oblivious to her own matters too isn't she…" _Mion wasn't really one to talk.

"_It seems like Adams likes Aira but she doesn't know yet…"_ Meanwhile what was on Seiji's mind was the note he received just like Sasahara and Higuchi.

_Things are going to get worse from here on so protect Aira. Especially when Callings and I aren't there._

* * *

Hibiki walked down the hall trying to get rid of the scene he saw.

"Hibiki!" Ome waved as she ran to him.

"What's up Amy?" He smiled warmly at her.

"You… Did something happen with Rizumu and Sasahara?"

"Nothing happened!"

"Is that so? Well anyway I need to talk to Callings so let's go home right now."

"But I still-"

"Please I know you finished all your work. You're probably just making an excuse to not see Rizumu. Let's go home. Ima. Ima sugu ni!"

"Chotto-" They got to the gate in a matter of 2 minutes. Shou and Wataru were standing there waiting for them.

"Hello Amy Chan!"

"Hello Wataru! Now let's get going shall we?" She threw 2 bags at Hibiki and Wataru. There wasn't much to explain about what it was.

"So what exactly do you need to talk about to the point where you need all 3 of us to go home with you? It's about MARs isn't it?" Wataru asked, perceptive of what Ome was getting at.

"I'm amazed. If you knew that much then can you guess what I'm trying to say?"

"That Callings needs to make it clear what their relationship is with MARs?"

"That's right. But I don't expect you to know the other part."

"What do you mean?"

"MARs is having a hard time in school. And I don't mean in grades if that's what you're thinking. Even Rizumu scored in the top 70." This just made the conversation become strange.

"I see…"

"I'll leave that to you guys to figure out. Now I need to ask. What is your relationship with MARs?"

"We're…" They didn't seem to know how to describe it. She sighed.

"Then what's your relationship with KIYUMI?" She said, annoyed at the silence.

"Friends probably…"

"Hm… Well then I'll be taking my leave. I want you guys to carefully think this all through because before you know it, MARs can end up being taken away by certain people…"

"What do you mean by taken Amy Chan?" Wataru caught on to her phrasing of the sentence.

"I'll make this a multiple choice question. What do you think I mean when I say MARs will be taken?"

**a. MARs is going to transfer out of your reach.**

**b. MARs is going to be in a boy-girl relationship soon.**

**c. MARs is going to be kidnapped sometime in the future.**

Callings eyebrows twitched at the last 2 choices.

"What kind of answers are these…?" They said in unison.

"I'm leaving it up to you guys what you decide. But you guys should act fast if you still want to be the closest to MARs. That's all I have to say for now." She skipped down the sidewalk and stopped around the corner.

"What are you trying to say to Callings?" KIYUMI surrounded her.

"Lots of things. What's it to you girls?"

"We're a part of Callings' business! We deserve to know!"

"You're sticking your noses in the wrong places KIYUMI. The reason why you got INTO Callings' business is because you were very pushy with your feelings. I'm not saying that's bad but perhaps you guys are being aggressive about the wrong things."

"What are you talking about? We like Callings so-"

"I can see that but have you ever stopped to wonder how they feel? I know that you have a grudge against MARs but think of it like this. This is all 'what if' so don't think bad of it. If Callings actually liked MARs even before you came into the picture, that would make KIYUMI the wall that blocks them from becoming a couple. And with that, your anger and hatred for MARs would increase because they are getting in the way of your love. Are you going to continue to help bully MARs to win over Callings? Don't lie about it. I've already collected enough evidence to prove to Callings that you are all a part of this mess."

"Then why haven't you told them or MARs?"

"Because doing so could possibly break MARs and end their relationship as friends when Callings realizes just how in the dark they were."

"Then you're telling us to give up on Callings so they can have a happy ending?! Why?!" Rie yelled as she started tearing up.

"That's not it. At this rate, MARs, Callings and you guys won't be happy. MARs is approaching a relationship with those 3 boys, Callings doesn't know how to react to your feelings no matter what and you guys will keep hurting MARs to get Callings when that's not your wish from the bottom of your heart."

"How do you know how we feel?! We were so angry and frustrated when MARs took away our first loves away right in front of our eyes! How could someone like you understand our pain?!" Mii let out her feelings.

"You're right. I don't understand your feelings. But I know that you girls are actually very nice girls that only act mean to cover up the pain and insecurities you have inside. That's something I understand…"

"That's not it! We'll do anything to get Callings!" They covered their ears.

"When you lie too much, eventually that lie becomes the truth. Is that really how you feel?"

"But if we don't try, Callings would slip from us and we'd be alone again…" They broke down. Ome kneeled down and patted Mii on her back.

"Yukimura Rie. Let me ask you. If Takamine Mion and Higuchi Jiro become a couple in the near future, how would you feel?" Rie froze from shock.

"I…"

"Think it over carefully girls. Is what you're doing justifying your feelings for Callings?"

**~~~~~~~~Realization can really sting but in a way it makes you stronger. Rely on yourself to find out the truth. Someone's not always going to be there to tell you it.~~~~~~~~**


	12. Christmas Fest: Start!

"The Christmas Festival is only 3 days away! Hurry everyone!" Class 1-C busily ran back and forth between the three 1st year classes. Class 1-A was in charge of negotiations and budgeting money, Aira's class was making the different costumes for the RPG and 1-C did all the building.

"Kora Ome! Why aren't you helping?" Rizumu was holding a log of wood.

"Because~ I already finished making those strange crystal balls Higuchi thought of." She pointed to a box sealed with duct tape labelled "Prizes- Fufu~".

"You actually made them?!"

"Of course. Really… I don't want to be in the science lab for a while! It was so boring doing all those experiments to make the right color…" Rizumu just laughed a bit scared of what exactly she put into those "crystal balls". "Anyway Rizumu, why are you carrying such a large piece of wood? Get one of the guys to move it."

"I want to help too!"

"Ah Rizumu! Watch out for-" Rizumu was falling backwards because she tripped over someone's foot.

"_Ah! Why does this happen to me?!" _Rizumu tried to balance herself which proved to be useless. Someone behind her caught her shoulders. As she peered up she saw Hibiki.

"Be careful Rizumu! I know you want to help but don't get hurt doing things that are hard for you!" He gave her a smile. She reddened. He slowly let go of her shoulders to make sure she could hold the wood properly.

"Hibiki… Why are you…"

"We also had preparations for our booth but I decided to skip."

"Booth?"

"Un. My class is doing an oden stand." Rizumu looked utterly speechless from what he just said. Ome burst out laughing.

"Nee Hibiki? Are you going to be helping to serve the oden?"

"That's a given Amy. Why would you ask?"

"Because it makes me laugh picturing you serving people hot oden! I can see it now… Hibiki will scoop up some soup base and daikon with a ladle and say 'Omachi! Eat it while it's still hot!'! Ah! I can't wait to see it!"

"It's not that funny! And when would I ever say that?!" Rizumu joined in with Ome's laughter. Hibiki rubbed his head since he couldn't win against 2 laughing girls.

"Can we go to the stand during the festival?" Rizumu looked at him.

"Of course! Come anytime!"

"Oh yeah! I'm going to eat a lot! Wai!"

"_Why do I feel so disappointed?" _Hibiki wondered to himself as he rubbed his cheek with his index finger. Ome smiled at the scene.

"_When will he finally realize it?"_

"Wah! Hibiki sama!" Some girls pointed to him as they stood there and admired him. Ome and Rizumu gulped as they got ready for the riot. Girls crowded into the classroom and some girls shoved Rizumu to the side as they went up to Hibiki to either admire him or ask him for his personal profile.

"Ah! Mou!" Rizumu fell on her butt and the 2 desks Ome was trying to sleep on split a part.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Hibiki felt a bit happy about all the attention but when he saw Rizumu on the floor, he rushed to help her.

"When did Hibiki's fans break tables and step on people?!" Rizumu yelled. Rizumu felt herself being lifted.

"Now now everyone… I'm going to be a bit busy as vice president so can we leave it at this?" He winked, causing many of the girls to have nosebleeds.

"_If only I could be him…"_ Many of the boys doing crafting work looked so sad on the sidelines. When the girls finally flooded out they both sighed in relief.

"A re? We're Ome?" Rizumu wondered still not catching on to the fact that Hibiki was holding her hand.

"_Am I supposed to be happy that she's not noticing?"_ And meanwhile…

"Where's the sewing machine?!"

"We need the patterns and designs before that!" Aira's class was also going crazy. Aira was trying to finish the designs and pick the patterns that were going to be sewed.

"Ok blue for these pants and peach color for this top…" Seiji peered over her hard work. He smiled at how hard she was trying.

"Watch out Harune san!" A giant log of wood laying on the wall started shifting and was headed toward Aira. She could only stand there immobilized with fear. Seiji didn't have time to react either. Before anyone in the class knew it, Aira was being held up high by Shou and the pillar collapsed on the desk she was sitting at.

"Safe!" He looked at a surprised Aira above him.

"Kyah! Miyamoto senpai!" Girls yelled because their idol was standing in front of them. Aira was still at a loss of words by the time Shou put her down. Seiji didn't look to happy.

"Aira?" He waved his hand in front of her face to check if she was dazed. It took her a few seconds to react.

"Ah! Shou san! T-Thank you!"

"Why are you acting so uptight? It's not like that was the first time." Everyone's eyebrows shot up.

"_Not the first time?! What is the relationship between these 2?!"_ Sweat drops formed on the back of Aira's head. But when she noticed the desk she was sitting at she yelled.

"Ah! My designs!" Some girls in the class snickered secretly. Shou and Seiji caught a glimpse of it.

"Aira Chan-" Seiji started to say.

"Aira! You should be more worried about your health! What would've happened if you really got hit by the wood?!" She jumped at his loud remark.

"I'm sorry but… The class is working so hard for the festival so…"

"But you shouldn't hurt yourself for a bunch of paper! You can always remake them!" Seiji felt overpowered. Shou was definitely doing a better job cheering Aira up.

"But at this rate we won't finish…"

"Then I'm going to help you make those designs!" He rolled up his sleeves and sat down next to her. He winked at Aira making her blush and have to agree with his decision.

"But Shou sama…" Some girls made a group. They didn't like this atmosphere between them at all.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Why are you wasting your time with this class's business?" The senpais asked. Shou felt a bit angry at that remark.

"What do you mean wasting my time? I don't think this is wasting my time! I've decided to stay and help with their RPG."

"But…"

"If you have a problem with it, you can always go find Hibiki and tell him I'm skipping out on the puppet show." He winked at them. They quietly left.

"_Whew… That took a lot of energy… Only Wataru can keep winking all day and still get to do whatever he wants..." _Seiji didn't know how to help so he just left the room.

"Hey Adams." Ome greeted him at the door.

"Amy Chan. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Why are you leaving the room?"

"Oh I'm just going to get drinks for the class…"

"I hope you aren't leaving because he's by Aira's side."

"That not it!" He yelled which made everyone stop. They went farther out the door and talked instead.

"Then why? You know that even with him there, you can still be by Aira's side."

"I'm not needed when he's there…"

"Adams… I'm sure that Aira herself would be sad if you left her side. Besides I already know that you like her more than she knows it."

"But if I make her sad with my feelings…"

"You have a point there but if you keep hiding them you'll just keep hurting yourself. When you're in love, you can be a little selfish. If you don't then how would you ever win over her heart?" She walked away. As she went up the stairs, a woman appeared in front of her. She had long auburn hair that glistened in the sun but her face was covered by the darkness.

"That was sure a durastic step you too Ome."

"Yeah I know." She sounded like she didn't want to hear it.

"Why'd you tell him to act on his feelings? You know what will happen anyway…"

"Because with this he will get stronger…"

"You really care about the end result don't you?"

"You could say that." She walked away unsure of her decision. As she continued to walk up the stairs she bumped into Mion.

"Ome! Why are you here?"

"Same goes for you. You look really busy…"

"Well I am in charge of the negotiations so I have to keep running to different clubs and teachers to rent costumes and space for the RPG."

"Did you get any connections?"

"Yes! The vice principal let us rent the east building! Then entire building! And I got some old costumes that Aira can definitely make better!"

"Well Shou's there helping her too so those costumes may turn to look incredibly new."

"He's with Aira?"

"Yeah. It seems that his class is doing a puppet show and he doesn't need to help at all."

"So he goes to Aira's class huh? What free time he has when we're working this hard…"

"So Mion how did you get the space and costumes? There must be a catch."

"Wat could you be talking about? I just asked normally…"

"Are you sure? From Mion, I expected you to at least bat your eyelashes. Come on Mion! Do a demo on how to ask someone for a favor!" And because she was pestering her, Mion gave in.

"Excuse me?~ I have a favor to ask of you… Can we rent the east building for our RPG? Please?~" She bat her eyelashes and winked. Ome couldn't help but laugh. Mion had the angry vein on her head.

"That was the best!" Tears were coming out of Ome's eyes because she couldn't hold her laughter.

"Ah! That's why I didn't want to do it!" She ran away.

"Mion! For your hard work something good's going to happen to you soon!" She heard what she said but didn't believe it.

"_That's definitely not happening…" _She stepped back into her classroom and sat down to write down the budget. She needed her glasses to write all the big numbers. Some girls squealed as someone came into the classroom.

"_Mou! So noisy!" _She was about to get up when someone took off her glasses. Because of the change in vision, she felt a bit dizzy.

"Mion?" Wataru grabbed her arm as she stumbled.

"What are you doing Wataru?! Give me my glasses!"

"No way! Not until you take a break!" He put a can of soda on her cheek.

"Ah! Cold!" She jumped. Wataru looked like he was really enjoying making fun of her tsundere personality.

"_So funny…" _

"Mou! I'm going to get mad Wataru!"

"You're already mad aren't you Mion?" He was trying to calm her down because he might have gotten her too hyped up. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"What is it?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"And if I said I just wanted to see Mion?" A shade of red appeared in the middle of her face. He looked surprised at her reaction too.

"W-What are you… talking about?" She faced the other way. He let go of her shoulders and covered the lower part of his face. It was to hide the tint of red on his face too.

"Mion Chan! I have the costumes!" Higuchi came in. He stopped smiling when he saw Wataru. He wasn't exactly trying to pick a fight with Wataru, he was just surprised that a super idol wouldn't mind going to classroom to another super model and still act childish.

"Hi Higuchi Kun!" Wataru tried to be friendly.

"You don't have to greet him Higuchi."

"Mion! That's mean!" He looked at her with teary puppy eyes. Her eyebrow shot up as she blushed yet again.

"_Don't be fooled by his act…"_

"Did you hear that? How could she say that to Wataru sama?" Girls that stepped into the room from the hallway whispered. Mion wanted to stand up for herself but she was scared that Higuchi and Wataru would start hating her for being so stubborn and mean to other students. She kept quiet and let them talk. Wataru glanced at her.

"_Is this what Amy was talking about? Why isn't Mion saying anything?" _

"Ah… I understand that Mion can sound strange and is very sharp-tongued but in a way it is fun to toy with her. After all her reactions are hilarious!" He gave her a boyish smile.

"Chotto! I'm-" He leaned forward and stopped when his face was next to Mion's ear. Some of the girls gasped. It took a lot of willpower for Higuchi not to say anything.

"Not to mention, you act mean so no one finds your weak points and insecurities. It's really easy to tell _Mion Chan._" He lifted his face as Mion felt embarrasssed for more than one reason.

"But Wataru sama! Using that kind of attitude with you…"

"If I say that it's ok and I like this fiesty personality of hers will it all be ok?" He winked. The girls retreated.

"_Like… And Mion Chan…" _Mion thought to herself.

* * *

"Where's Rizumu?" Mion asked on the morning of the 23rd.

"It's been 10 minutes…" Aira said glancing at the dressing room curtain. She was already in her Kaguya Hime costume. She had a long black wig over her regular red hair and the widow peak bangs made her look like a real princess. However the layers of kimonos and obis made Mion feel happy she didn't wear it because it looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"Ah! She's coming out!" Mion pointed to a pouting Rizumu popping her head out from the curtains.

"What's wrong Rizumu Chan? Did you get dressed into the costume I made for you yet?!" Aira's eyes sparkled hoping she'd get to see Rizumu in the blue costume she made for her.

"Ah.. About that… I don't think I'll be able to wear that…" She was blushing as she gripped the pink curtains.

"What are you saying?! We've already made the costume and it's almost time for the ceremony to begin! Even if the class lets you wear your uniform, Aira and I will not!" Aira nodded in the background.

"But it's too revealing!" She whined.

"Eh?! Aira!" Mion blushed too.

"It's not what you think! The outfit only exposes your belly button! That's just how it is!"

"Oh… Te! What a second! Why is her belly button being exposed?! And hurry up and get out here Rizumu! We are short on time!" Mion was getting really embarrassed.

"Ah… That's because Rizumu is Princess Jasmine…" She pointed to an embarrassed Rizumu in Jasmine's blue outfit and her orange hair tied back just like Princess Jasmine's hairstyle except some hair that was kept to the front sides of her hair with her regular bangs. "Kawaii! It suits you Rizumu Chan!" Aira and Mion smiled at each other.

"Un… It looks good Rizumu."

"Thanks Aira, Mion… But… Why aren't you getting changed Mion?!" She pointed to Mion still in her uniform.

"I don't need to get changed until the end!"

"Unfair! Get changed Mion! I want to see the costume Aira prepared for you!"

"It's too girly for me! And I don't want to say such lines to the male players!"

"It's ok Mion Chan! I'm sure it'd look good on you! And only certain players will go your route! All the players have different tasks for which direction they choose to go to!"

"That doesn't make me feel better!"

"Quit complaining and get changed Mion!" Rizumu pushed her into the dressing room. "So Aira what exactly is Mion coming out as?"

"Fufu~ You'll see soon Rizumu Chan…"

"_Even if this dress's color is lilac… I can't act like her!"_ Mion wanted to get it over with so she she put on the light shade of purple dress.

"Chotto! Takamine san! I need to do the extensions for your hair!"The stylist came in and sat her down. Mion was getting more tense with the less time she had until she had to go show her best friends her appearance. The stylist added blond extensions to Mion's hair making her hair look longer. Only one side of her front bangs got extensions that were the same length as the ones applied to the back.

**To make it easy for readers, Mion looks like how she looks in Dear My Future only with long flowing hair on the left side of the front of her hair(basically a play on Hyein's hair).**

"Wah! Pretty!" Aira and Rizumu clapped for Mion. Instead of Sleeping Beauty's regular long sleeved dress, Mion had a purple off shoulder dress on (like Princess Belle) with purple gloves that reached to her elbows in place of it.

"It's good but I can't possibly give that kind of task to a male player…"

"Task?" Aira motioned for Rizumu to lend her, her ear.

"Mion Chan's class decided that her task for her role would be to dare the male player to kiss her. If he does he passes the test…"

"Eh?! Kiss?!"

"Calm down Rizumu Chan. It's not on the lips! Anywhere on her face or even her hand is fine!"

"Hey wouldn't that be too easy? After all a guy is stronger than a girl… And wait. Why is Mion's task that?!"

"Well Ome and the teachers said they'd take care of it. Not to mention Ome is going to announcing all the tasks and has surveillance cameras planted in weird spots. And Rizumu Chan! Mion Chan's Sleeping Beauty, Princess Aurora!"

"Oh! I didn't notice… But in any case whew… That means I'm saved from anything strange…" Rizumu sighed.

"Ahaha… Wasn't your task for the guy to successfully catch you?"

"Yeah… I better run as fast as I can… What about your task Aira?"

"I have to ask the boy to…"

"Hm… When you think of Kaguya Hime… Ah! Proposal!" Aira covered her mouth as Mion blushed.

"Mou! Just what kind of torture are they making us go through?! Even Aira has to ask a guy to propose to her!"

"MARs! Don't forget your headpieces!" Rizumu put on the blue headpiece Jasmine wore, Aira put on the japanese headpiece that hung over her forehead and Mion wore the small gold colored crown Princess Aurora always had on her head. As they walked they saw KIYUMI waiting at the door to the entrance of the RPG. Mii was disguised as Belle with a light green dress. She had white gloves on. Rie was a blue haired version of Alice in Wonderland and held a small stuffed rabbit in her hand. Her dress became a double layered yellow dress. Kiri was Rapunzel with long, curly blond hair and a long sleeve scarlet dress on.

"You 3 are so cute! I'm glad the dresses fit perfectly!" MARs smiled at them.

"_Is what you're doing justifying your feelings for Callings?" _That question continued to bother KIYUMI.

"T-Thank you…" They said a bit happy.

"Really! It suits all of you! I thought it would be good for Mii Chan to become a reserved princess just for these 3 days! And Rie Chan being Alice really is cute! I pictured you as someone that liked to adventure and explore! And Kiri Chan, I imagined you as Rapunzel because I'm sure you are the type that is waiting for her prince but would use your own strengths to get him just like Rapunzel that dropped her hair down for her prince!" Her kind words made the girls feel guilty especially Kiri when she heard the words, "use your own strengths to get him". They looked up at MARs and wanted to return the compliments.

"Harune Aira… That suits you…" Mii started.

"Really? Thank you for the compliment Mii Chan!"

"Amamiya Rizumu… It's not bad at all… That costume…"

"Really? Thanks Rie! I was worried about what it would look like since my belly button is exposed…" They laughed together.

"Takamine Mion… You look _joli_. Really…" She gave her a weak smile which surprised Mion.

"Thank you. You look pretty too Adams Kiri."

"Nani Nani?! Is this a gathering of princesses?" Higuchi dressed up as a pirate ran over to them. Adams and Sasahara followed him. The older brother of Kiri was dressed up as a soccer player (well more like he looks like he's really going to play in a soccer game as a regular) and Sasahara was a samurai with a small hair extension tied in a ponytail.

"Wah! Adams why does that costume suit you so much…?" Rizumu was really holding the urge to laugh.

"It should since Onii sama IS a soccer player."

"Eh? Really?!" MARs all yelled at the same time.

"Yes…" He stroked his hair.

"Anyway… Jiro what do you mean a gathering of princesses? You knew that I was going to be Alice in Wonderland yet …"

"Ahaha… It was a light joke Rie. Lighten up ok?"

"No way!" She pouted.

"Are these 2 always like this?" Mion asked the nearest person to her, Mii.

"Hai… It's amazing that they're not childhood friends…" And suddenly, Mii was hugged by a happy Adams. Kiri didn't look happy.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to have Mii wear greenn even though it is her favorite color…" Kiri muttered.

"Eh? Why?" Aira asked.

"Onii sama loves to be a pair with any girl that wears green when he wears red or vice versa. Those are his favorite colors… Mii… This might be an unfortunate 3 days for you…" Kiri could only stare at her brother going crazy hugging Mii.

"Chotto! Adams san let go of me! I need some space to breathe!" Aira laughed at Mii pushing Adam's chin away from her. Mii looked at her happy smile.

"_I guess it was really too much to think that Harune Aira would like Kiri's older brother…" _As Kiri stepped back she bumped into Sasahara.

"Ah sorry!"

"Watch where you're going."

"Ok! I already said sorry so stop glaring at me!" As she turned to walk to the other side, the last of her extended hair got stuck on the fake sword Sasahara was holding.

"Is something like that even possible?" Aira looked at the sight of Kiri's extensions stuck between the fake sword and the prop covering it.

"What a pain…"

"Sorry for being a pain!" She tried her hardest to get it out but with no luck.

"Don't move." He opened the prop and the extensions came out. Kiri was relieved and tried to walk away quickly so she didn't have to argue with him. "Wait." He grabbed her arm. That surprised everyone in the group.

"What?" He reached for the end of her hair and worked on untangling it.

"It was tangled." He let go of the hair when he was finished and look Kiri in the eye. She felt a bit hot and moved away before he could see the tint of pink developing on her cheeks.

"Is everyone ready?" Ome's voice was on the loudspeaker.

"Hey let me talk too Amy!" Another voice was heard. Not to mention, it was a guy's voice.

"Stop grabbing the mic! You're going to break it Baka-Eve!"

"I'm Steve Lin Idiot-Ome!"

"Fine! Whatever your name is, let go of the mic! We need to start the ceremony!" MARs, KIYUMI and the 3 boys looked utterly speechless because this was the first Ome acted like a fiesty girl arguing with a boy they didn't now of.

"Anyway… It is 5 minutes to 10. As freshmen of Aono Gakuen let's make our collaborated work pay off these 3 days!" Many people cheered.

"Also to participants of this RPG… This kid and I, Amy Zhang will be monitoring all the players' movements so no 'unfortunate' incidents occur during this fun activity we've set up! And now that it is 1 minute until the start of our school's Christmas Fest, everyone participate in the countdown k?" Everyone counted down in sync. Everyone excitedly counted down whether it was hand movements or verbally speaking.

"10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… **3**… **2**… **1**!"

"And as of now, Aono Gakuen's Christmas Fest is open to the public!"

**~Taking the first step toward building friendship can be difficult but hey, your future's going to turn out better :D~**


	13. RPG Part l

"Welcome! Would you like to try our RPG game?" Class 1-A was in charge of advertising. However, Mion and Rie didn't feel like yelling so they just stood there.

"Mion Chan! Rie! Help would you?!" Higuchi practically begged them to hold flyers.

"I don't want to!" Rie and Mion said in unison.

"Don't say that! Please?!" He looked so helpless making Mion feel bad. She moved her hair back and walked in front of a group of 4 boys.

"Hello everyone. I am Princess Aurora from class 1-A. Would you like to participate in our class's role playing game?"

"Isn't she Takamine Mion? So cute!" Then a gust of wind blew past them making Mion's long hair sway with the breeze. It turned out to be a good thing because that struck an arrow in the boys' hearts.

"Yes! We'd love to Princess!" They all reached to hold her hand. They started fighting for her handshake. Many other boys joined the crowd. Soon enough it became a riot on the line for players wanting to play the RPG.

"Mion Chan's a natural at this isn't she?" Higuchi smiled at the sight of her shaking each individual's hand as they got on line.

"_If Takamine Mion and Higuchi Jiro become a couple in the near future, how would you feel?"_ Rie tried to shake off the lingering feeling of uneasiness. She also walked up to a group of boys but this time it was only 3 guys.

"Hello." She gripped her dress and bowed gracefully.

"H-Hello." The boys were blushing and looked shy.

"I'm Alice in Wonderland of Class 1-A. Pleased to meet you. Would you like to come play our RPG?"

"Can we?"

"Of course." She gave them an elegant smile.

"Cute!" One of the boys in glasses reached to hug Rie only to spark Higuchi to intervene. He pulled the guy by his back collar away from the short Rie.

"Jiro!" She didn't seem to be scared at all which surprised him.

"Customers, please refrain from personal contact unless you win the grand prize at the end of our little game. Alice in Wonderland will be scared off."

"Hai… Let's play and see what happens!" Higuchi sighed when they stood in line.

"Why weren't you scared at all?"

"Because I could've easily dodged it. He wasn't going to do anything strange to me anyway. It was just a hug Jiro. You're overreacting like always…"

"As a girl you may- No! That's not what I meant! A girl should cherish who she hugs besides her family!"

"Huh? Are you ok?" She looked irritated that she didn't get his point.

"Mou… Never mind. I'll take care of this so go in first and get into your position."

"Ok…" She didn't understand why he was acting so weird.

* * *

"So this is their RPG?" Wataru looked pumped.

"Wow… It's packed!" Hibiki tried to see what was on the inside.

"Really! I want to keep trying until I get to the last 2 stages! I heard the girls of Classes 1-A to 1-C are stationed there! And their tasks are all couple-like activities! I can't wait!"

"_What?!"_ Callings wasn't happy with the idea or the fact that the girls all hid it from them. The group of 3rd years kept on talking, not noticing Callings.

"I want to get Harune Aira's task! I wonder who she is…"

"Really? I prefer Takamine Mion with her elegant and bubbly character! I hear she's Sleeping Beauty!"

"You guys know Amamiya Rizumu is the best! She's so energetic and her smile is just so cute and bright… Ah…" Callings officially popped. As the guys saw a menacing aura behind them, they froze when they saw 3 angry boy idols emitting a scary air.

"Senpai tachi…" They lifted their heads to reveal totally different eyes.

"Wah!" Their senpais ran for their lives.

"We might have overdone it…" Wataru said as he looked behind them.

"Well I'm sure it wasn't overdone on your part Wataru…" Hibiki and Shou said together.

"Eh? What do you mean?~"

"Wataru you're a type AB." They said with a straight face. There was nothing left to say as a cold air blew past the 3 super idols.

"Ah! Prince!" Kiri came out to greet them.

"H-Hi Kiri Chan…"

"What's wrong Prince? Are you not feeling well? Maybe you should go to the nurse…"

"I'm ok. Anyway Kiri Chan are you Rapunzel? That hair and dress really suits you!" She blushed as she got embarrassed by his natural compliments.

"T-Thank you Prince! Are you going to participate-"

"You bet I am!"

"Then I'll wait go get ready!" She ran inside.

"Get ready…?" Shou and Hibiki just grinned as they had a good time seeing Wataru act funny with Kiri.

"Here customers. Please pick something out of this box." They each pulled something out and gulped.

"Why is there a need for a sling-shot in a role playing game?"Hibiki played with it.

"Um… What is the need for a rope? Is this going to become a survival game?" Wataru stared at his incredibly long rope.

"What is this?" Shou stared at the flower in his hand. Each item had a tag on it.

"Now please read the tag and follow the door it reads. And good luck because however you use that item is up to you."

"Red Heart." There were 6 doors to pick from. Shou went through the middle one.

"Blue Clover." Hibiki walked through the door on the right.

"Purple Diamond." Wataru didn't want to fall behind and ran through the door to the right of the one Shou just went into.

* * *

"Hello Challenger! Are you ready for my test for you?" A guy had bandages around his face. Shou just stared at him for a few seconds. He really did this to get to Aira so he could ask why she kept the game details from him.

"Sure…" He said with a sigh.

"Then in the next 45 seconds, you must dodge all the bandages I throw at you. If you can do it, you will move on. If you don't you'll have to start over once you go to the back of the waiting line."

"_That long?! I can't afford to lose…" _He moved back. A giant timer started. It wasn't hard at all, well at first.

"I should also warn you that if you go back too much you could trigger a trap!" And on cue, Shou stepped on a secret trap on the floor that opened up a tile on the floor. Shou quickly jumped before he got stuck. And for one thing, he wasn't pleased.

"Thanks for the warning a few seconds too late!" There were only 5 seconds on the clock left. He continued to lure the boy to aim for the square opening in the floor. And when time ran out he was relieved.

"You passed. Please proceed to the next room." He opened the next door to see a woman sitting on a throne.

"_This time it's a queen isn't it? They just keep coming along don't they... Most likely she's going to want me to sweet-talk her…" _

"Hello Challenger. My task for you will be to please me with words and actions. I must feel satisfied within 2 minutes. But I'll be generous. You pick when the timer starts." Shou looked really reluctant to do it.

"Ok. I'll begin now!" Another clock appeared on the wall of the room.

"What kind words do you have to offer me?" Either this girl was really good at acting or she was already an ojou-sama. He kneeled down.

"Oh Queen of the Throne… I am amazed by your beauty… Your long flowing hair is just so perfect that other girls around cannot compare to such delicacy! And your clothes are the finest of the finest… This triple layered blue gown suits your navy blue eyes! Ah, your fair skin is just so brilliant! Would you give me the honor of a dance?" She peered down to get a better look of who it really was. When she saw that it was Miyamoto Shou, her heart was captured.

"Yes… I'd love to…" He twirled her around and smiled for as long as he could manage. When he finally opened the door to the next room, he was already tired. When he peeked in, he closed the door just as fast.

"_What was that? I could've sworn I saw a giant flower…"_ He pushed the door open again and confirmed that his eyesight was perfectly fine. A guy was wearing a giant daffodil flower suit.

"Welcome! If you pass this challenge, then you'll be able to pick which way you want to go from here on. We're playing tag for the next 20 seconds. I'll be 'it'."

"Only 20 seconds?"

"Are you sure you want more time? Time starts now!" The clock appeared on the screen. The daffodil charged to catch Shou, almost succeeding because Shou didn't believe it was going to be hard to finish this stage. But lucky Shou had good reflexes. And he had his sneakers on too. Everytime he tried to catch him, Shou moved to another side. At the 15 second mark, Shou got a bit overconfident and almost got caught. He backflipped, escaping narrow defeat. "And now that you have finished this stage, please get on the platform."

"What platform?" And before he knew it, the floor he was standing on rose up making him stumble.

"Good job for making it this far Shou!"

"Kora Amy! That was dangerous! Just tell me to get on that platform over there!" He pointed to a regular rising platform under him.

"Gomen Gomen. Don't look so unhappy! Aira should have her reasons for keeping it from you! Now you have a choice between 2 doors. One door goes to a girl that will ask you to dance with her and the other will ask you to race her."

"Oi! What kind of strange activities are these?!"

"They're not strange! They're creative!"

"I'm taking this door." He opened it to see Mii in her green Belle dress. "Mii?!"

"Hi Shou san… I would like you to dance with me…"

"Ii Yo." He took her right hand and held it as he had to hold her waist with his left hand. She put her left hand on his neck. As they waltzed Ome stared at their expressions from the security cameras. She switched off the ear microphones so Mii could have no disturbances during her ballroom dace with Shou.

"Nee Shou san… What do you think of my disguise?"

"It suits you… I wonder who thought to make you Princess Belle…"

"Harune Aira is really considerate isn't she…?"

"Yes, so considerate that she will hide how she feels so she doesn't bother anyone…"

"Thanks for the compliment Shou san. I'm fine now so go on and go to Harune Aira… She's probably been waiting for you for a long time!" She pushed him forward.

"Are you sure? We haven't even danced for that long…"

"I'll be fine. Go on!"

"Thanks Mii! I owe you one!"

"Un…" She smiled to herself as she decided to let Aira meet Shou.

"_I won't give up just yet but I guess I do have to fight fairly… But being able to dance with him should be more than enough for now…"_ A gentle expression was shown on her face. Shou opened the pink door to see a girl sitting on a platform that climbed up and down. She wore layers of kimonos and obis. The vital point of her identity, her face, was hidden from the dim light around her. As he approached her, the lights switched on. As he covered his eyes when the platform lowered he slowly realized who she was.

"Aira…" She definitely looked like she waited for him for a while. Her facial expression made him blush. She looked like someone of royalty with her flowing black hair, tender gaze and delicate accessories.

"Hi Shou san. If you can complete this strange task of mine, you'll get to pick a prize in the next room."

"Strange task…?"

"Please propose to me." He froze. His mouth fell open yet no sound came out.

"_I know that the story of Princess Kaguya had 6 proposals in it but why must..." _

"A-Am I proposing to Aira or Princess Kaguya…?" She thought about it for a moment, making Shou nervous about what she would say.

"Whoever you want to propose to is fine!" That made him feel even more indecisive. Steve and Ome spit out the tea they were drinking.

"Are these people actually really fun to toy with?"

"You just figured it out now? This is only the beginning. We got 2 likely winners coming right behind this one."

"You sure are confident that he will complete this task aren't you?"

"Well it's up to Aira to decide if his proposal was good enough to make Princess Kaguya not go to the Moon."

"Let's make it more interesting." He switched on the ear microphones so they could get in touch with Aira.

"Hey! What are you planning to make her do?!"

"Harune Aira san? Let's make the game more interesting. Tell this challenger that if he fails this challenge he won't be able to spend any time with you during these 3 days."

"Eh?! But that's a bit too much isn't it?"

"Don't worry Aira. This idiot doesn't mean you guys won't meet during the entire Christmas Festival, he means that he wants you to test what entertaining thing Shou will do if he hears this. But it's up to you if you want to use this to test him."

"_I am a little curious of what Shou san would do if I said that… I just hope he does'nt fall over…"_

"Shou san do you know the ending of the story of Kaguya Hime?"

"She still went to the Moon even though the Emperor still loved her?"

"Well the task I've asked of you… If you've unsuccessfully proposed to me then for the rest of the Christmas Festival… We cannot meet…"

"_What?! Then this will be the last time I see her in 3 days?! Amy… This has got to be your doing…"_ Ome sneezed.

"Why is it always my fault?!"

"Because you're the type to plot out these things."

"Speak for yourself."

"I need to ask you some questions before anything, Aira." He stepped toward the platform she was sitting on.

"Hai?" She tilted her head in confusion. Shou's eyes twitched because he was annoyed that she was so clueless about where he was going with this.

"_At least have some idea of what I'm talking about…" _

"Why did you hide the fact that you were going to ask male players to propose to you, from me?" She sat in a little further because Shou was scaring her. She leaned on the wall as Shou got on the platform to make some things clear.

"Hey this is getting exciting!" The girl next to him slapped him with a paper fan.

"You call this exciting?! Aira's getting intimidated by a guy that isn't exactly thinking straight!"

"I just remembered… The challengers are supposed to get past 5 stages before getting to these last stages with princesses… Where's the 6th person?"

"Hm… I purposely gave him this route so he would be face to face with Adams Seiji but he wasn't at his post…"

"We'll just tell that guy to wait in a room next to the prize room and battle him when he's done."

"Oh? Whose the confident one now? You say it like he'll have no problems with this task."

"He's an idol so he should've acted something like this already."

"Is that so? Acting skills won't do very much in this challenge Steve."

"Wait… Shou san what are you doing…?"

"Aira… Did you think of the dangers of this task…? What if a boy tried to take advantage of your naivety?"

"Why are you so worried about that? Mou, the security cameras do work in here!"

"But it could take them a while to get here and help you… Then what would you do? You could have been…"

"Nothing happened! You worry too much Shou san! Why do you always think something will happen to me?" He leaned down and banged his hand on the wall behind her. She was startled by the loud sound. They were face to face with each other. Ome and Steve had a perfect view of what was going on.

"Since you still don't understand, I'll just have to win this challenge and get you to tell me the reason…" He moved back which relieved a reddening Aira that couldn't get the image of his serious face out of her head.

"I can't make it that easy for you to win Shou san!" She tried to argue with his behavior.

"You won't be saying that after you accept my marriage proposal!" They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"This really is too hard…" Shou wasn't about to let her change her mind.

"I know that it's too early to propose to you when you're 15 years old but I want you to hear my feelings out. Ever since I met you at your first Prism Show, you've always been so bright about creating designs for clothes yet you were so shy to the outside world. I wanted to help you to become stronger and before I knew it, you did. But now I feel afraid that you will become a different person that will slip away from me. Now I want to watch over you forever because I like the way you are now… That's why I want to be by your side forever…" He reached into his pocket when he remembered the flower he got as an item. He also pulled out something he totally forgot to give her. Aira was fidgeting because she thought he was going to pull out a real ring.

"_He couldn't possibly be holding a ring could he?"_ He twisted the flower into a decent looking ring and walked over to her. "This is not a real ring but for now I hope you will accept my feelings."

"I-Isn't this going too far?"

"I want you to become my bride in the future. I want to be the one to protect you for eternity…" He put the ring on her left hand's ring finger and put the stones he wanted to give her in her hand as well.

"A-Accessories from Shou san…?" She stared at the three pink Prism Stones. A milky pink bracelet and necklace set with a special glass hairpin were in her hand. She looked at Shou's earnest face. It was obvious that they were made exclusively for her.

"Shou san is this a real proposal…?" Somehow the skit wasn't make sense anymore because the truths and lies were already jumbled up. It wasn't helping that Shou was still trying to voice out some random thoughts.

"Of course Aira. I l-love you and want to stay with you forever. Will you marry me?" He kneeled down and held out his hand. She got up, jumped down and into Shou's arms.

"I'm happy Shou san… Yes I'm willing to marry you…" She gripped his blazer and hugged him. Her actions made Shou feel immobilized with confusion.

"Aira is this…?" She looked up and stuck out her tongue.

"You won Shou san." She got up.

"Were you serious about that Aira?"

"Mou Shou san! I wanted to try acting once… Did it seem that way?" She blushed. "Then were you serious Shou san?"

"And if I said I was?"

"I see… Wait?!"

"Just kidding. I had fun acting out that kind of scene. But I am serious about getting you to tell me why you were hiding this kind of task from me." He approached her only to have her block his face by basically slapping him with her hands.

"Just go to the next room! The prize is waiting for you! I'll tell you but only after this is over!"

"Then I'll take that as a promise and go to the next room." They waved to each other as he opened the door in front of her. When the door closed, Aira touched her face, blushing at how she managed to do that. Shou was leaning on the door totally confused on if that even turned out right.

"Sorry to say Shou but you still have one more challenge waiting for you before you can get the prize." Ome said through the loudspeaker.

"What?!"

"You were supposed to have 6 challenges but since Adams wasn't at his post, his turn got skipped. But he wants to challenge you in the room to the right now that he's back."

"You're kidding…" He opened the door to see Adams holding a soccer ball under his arm and a goal behind him.

"Yo Miyamoto senpai!"

"Yo Adams kun. I'm guessing we're playing soccer by taking turns shooting at the goal?"

"Yes. Whoever gets 5 goals in wins. Let's get started shall we?" He spoke in English.

"Why not?" Shou shrugged and stood in front of the goal about 4 yards away. He kicked the ball to the right of the goal and Adams letting it go in. "Hey are you trying?"

"Of course." They switched places and Adams kicked the ball down the left of the goal. Shou caught it but it was a powerful ball to stop. They kept changing and eventually the score was 3-4 with Adams in the lead. Shou was kicking. He was under pressure. Adams was sure that he was going to catch it. Shou thought of why he even did this challenge and remembered the thought of a boy taking advantage of Aira. He imagined that and kicked the ball to hit the imaginary boy's head. Adams almost caught it but it was too fast. But he didn't care since if he got this kick in, he would've won against his senpai. Adams thought of Aira and her smiling face which made him happy. He was going to do this kick for her only to find that the direction his ball was going to was toward her face that he imagined, which was the goal.

"Ah! Aira Chan!" He didn't kick very hard giving Shou a good chance of winning this challenge. Shou had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

"Why exactly are you yelling about Aira?"

"No reason. Shouldn't you focus on this shot Miyamoto senpai? If you miss this I might just win…"

"Of course I know that. After all I'm not thinking of girls when I'm going against a guy younger than me."

"Thinking of girls?! No it's not like that!" Shou used this to his advantage and kicked the ball into the goal while Adams was freaking out.

"You shouldn't let your guard down Adams kun." He admitted defeat.

"Go to the room on the right…" Shou smiled to himself as he won the challenge and finally proceeded to the prize room.

"Who's next?" Steve asked.

"Hyuuga Wataru. You're going to be in for it since he's going to end up getting to Takamine Mion." She was eating Pocky.

"Oh? That cute idol? I can't wait for this!" He took a Pocky from the pack. Ome really wanted to snap him in two for taking a liking to Mion because she was pretty.

* * *

"Mou this place is so dark…" Wataru looked scared of the dark borders around the path he chose. When he opened the door he saw a girl with glasses and short hair with her back to him.

"I've been waiting Challenger. I am Nagato Yuki and my task for you will be this." She pulled out knives and fit them in between her fingers.

"Wait… That…"

"Don't worry. I got permission for this. Now for the next 20 seconds you will have to dodge the knives I throw at you. I cannot step any further but you can move back as much as you want."

"Wah… You really do sound like the Nagato Yuki from Haruhi Suzumiya…"

"Compliments will not help you this time… Get ready!" She threw a sharp knife to aim for his face. He ducked. A giant clock appeared on the screen just ike Shou's route.

"Hey! This is too dangerous!"

"Oh really?" She threw 2 knives at him this time. He moved to the right and ducked again. It was only 8 seconds into the game. He sighed as he tried to hang on.

"What happens if you actually hit someone?" He moved to the left.

"Amy said she'd take care of it."

"Amy Chan you…"

"Don't get careless Challenger!" He didn't notice the knife coming to the right until about 2 seconds before it came at him.

"Wah!" It grazed the skin right under his left eye. The 20 seconds were up. He sighed in relief.

"Good job in getting past this stage. Go through that door and sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's all good!" He opened and ran through the door. He saw a pair of twins in the middle of the room.

"Welcome! We're going to play the guessing game! You'll have to guess which one of us is Konami and which one of us is Nanami!" They twirled in a circle that made Wataru feel a bit dizzy.

"Looks like this is the end of his adventure…"

"Please Idiot… He has a trump card of his own… If only you had good looks and could use it to your advantage…"

"You're one to talk. Why don't you say that after you start acting more feminine?" They were going to engage in a fist fight when Wataru's actions distracted them.

"Hm… You really look the same… Are you Konami Chan?" He lifted the chin of the girl on the left with a ponytail to the left side of her head. Her heart fluttered at how her idol was less than 6 centimeters away from her.

"Yes Wataru sama…" He smiled.

"Do I pass this test then?"

"H-Hai…" Nanami was holding her fainting sister as Wataru walked past them. His next opponent was a mad scientist that wanted to play checkers with Wataru. He won in a matter of 2 minutes. Unlike Shou, Wataru was having a lot of fun with the game. His 4th opponent was a track and field runner that challenged him to a race.

"I won't guarantee that this will be a fair competition…" They ran for the goal as fast as they could. Wataru was winning until he was about 7 inches from the goal and a banana peel appeared on his trail. His opponent smirked.

"_Wah! Old school pranks…" _He cartwheeled and landed on his knee behind the goal making him the winner. Wataru hummed to himself as he headed to the door. While he expected another room with someone in it he stepped into a pure white room with nothing but 2 doors at the end of it.

"Good job Wataru!"

"Amy Chan! Am I done yet? I need to find Mion!"

"Well at least you're honest about your intentions… And anyway, no you aren't done because you still need to get to your beloved Mion. You have 2 people waiting for you behind those doors. One of them is a pirate that wants to battle you on the left and the other one to the right is Rapunzel that you've already met."

"Stop making fun of me Ome! And you're trying to make me out to be the bad guy by tempting me with the thought of going to battle a pirate over helping Rapunzel down from the castle aren't you?!"

"What could you be talking about?"

"She just wants you to battle the pirate because he's Higuchi Jiro…" A monotone voice appeared on the loudspeaker too.

"Ah… So he's the pirate… I'm up for the fight then!" He punched his other palm ad opened the left door.

"Yo senpai! I've been waiting! Now let's start our match shall we?" He threw him a sword.

"What are the rules Higuchi kun?" Wataru fixed his necktie as he picked up the sword.

"Whoever can knock the sword out of the other person's hands first wins. Ready senpai?"

"You bet!" They charged at each other and clashed. It looked like they were equal in strength but when Higuchi struck a nerve it all changed.

"So senpai? What are your real feelings toward Mion Chan?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well I might've realized that I really like her …" They clashed yet again.

"And you want to ask if I feel the same way don't you?"

"Are you going to tell me Hyuuga senpai?" He smirked showing that he wasn't going to tell him so easily.

"I don't plan to fail this challenge since I am one door away from Mion, Higuchi kun!" She heard his voice. Kiri also heard his voice because she was right next door to them.

"Just tell me how you feel!"

"There's no need to know when you have your own feelings sorted out! I don't understand my feelings for her yet!" Mion clenched her hand close to her heart. Then she heard something rustling behind her.

"What?! Why don't you know your own feelings yet?!"

"Do you really need a reason for wanting to protect a girl?!" Wataru slammed his sword against Higuchi's winning the match because his sword was knocked to the floor. He looked at him in surprise because not only did Wataru just win, but he also DIDN'T answer Jiro's question. Higuchi just sighed.

"Since you won, go on to Mion Chan. And now that you know my feelings for her, I want to tell you that if you do feel the same for her, I will be a hard rival to beat." He gave him a small smile as he sat on the floor, defeated but content at the same time. Ome's ear microphone started beepng and blinking electric green.

"What's wrong Mion?"

"I-I feel like something's in here… S-Someone…"

"Wataru! Hurry up and get to Mion! Something's in that room!"

"You've got to be kidding me! Mion!" He dashed for the door.

"_Without a moment of hesitaton Prince dashed to save her… Really this is one sided on my part…" _

"I'm going too!"

"Not so fast hot head. You already know what's in there so what's the point?"

"But it's so boring to be in here watching everyone! I wanna be in the fun too!" She pouted.

"Try to act a little more grown up will you…?"

"Why should I have to because you say so?"

"So uncute…"

"What? You actually thought I was cute?"

"Who-" Ome's microphone started blinking again, this time Kiri was contacting Ome.

"Adams?"

"I heard Prince on the other side of the wall… By now he should be by Takamine Mion's side am I right?"

"I'm sorry… Are you-"

"You were just trying to make everything fun. Don't worry I'm ok. I'll let Takamine Mion have him today but I won't just give up because of this!"

"Then this will be the start of a fair competition won't it Adams?"

"Thanks for giving me another chance Zhang san…"

"Ome's fine you know. And thanks for taking into account what I said. After we finish our rounds today how about you come with MARs and I to explore the clubs? Bring Yukimura and Yamanishi too."

"Alright. Thanks again Ome." She glanced at the screen. The security camera in Mion's room showed nothing as if something was wrong with it.

"Mion! Where are you?!" Wataru yelled into a pitch black room. There was no response just the sound of someone trembling. "Mion! Just come out!"

"B-But there's something coming after me!" He was flustered and looked around for something he could use. Behind the door he spotted a flashlight and piece of wood. He grabbed the flashlight and shone the light inside. He found something green on the floor.

"Snake?!" Wataru jumped back in surprise.

"_Ok… Calm down… Try to draw it out and run for Mion…"_ He stood in the doorway and looked for any other tools lying around. There was a rubber mouse and glass case with one side open. He placed the glass in front of him and turned the switch on the mouse, making it move. That instantly caught the snake's attention. It slowly slithered to catch the mouse. Wataru jumped in to get Mion who was on the farthest wall.

"W-Wataru?"

"Let's go!" He picked her up and ran out. He put her down so he could shut the door. Because the glass case was just as big as the door putting it in front of the door made it hard for the snake to get out. Wataru grabbed Mion's hand and ran down the hallway with her.

"Wataru! You haven't completed my task! We can't go to the prize room yet!"

"Why do you care about that now?! As long as we're away from that snake we should be fine!"

"I don't want you to win!"

"And I saved you too… Now why is that Mion?"

"If you win you have to pick someone-" She stopped as she gasped.

"What is it Mion?" They were still running.

"Nothing! But you have to complete my task before we get to the prize room!

"And that is?"

"Y-You have to find a way to k-kiss me or…" His facial expression froze even though they were moving. "Wataru? What's wrong?" They weren't running in sync anymore, so Mion fell on Wataru who he lost his balance.

"Ow…" Mion and Wataru stared at each other in surprise. Mion's lips were touching Wataru's left cheek. They stayed in that position for 5 seconds. Mion finally realized what she was doing and got up. Wataru was embarrassed too but he was too tired to get up.

"Sorry… Let me rest for a little bit…"

"_Will he think it's weird if I grab onto him…?" _She laid down and gripped his blazer. His arm was on top of his eyes. Mion blushed when he put his free left arm around her neck.

**~~~~~~~~Understanding is just one step toward the future~~~~~~~~**


	14. Too Many Surprises

"Why do I feel like Shou and Wataru already finished this game?" Hibiki was deep in thought as he opened the door to his first challenge.

"Hello Challenger. Are you ready for my task?" A boy with glasses stared at him.

"Of course. Anytime you're ready." Unlike the other 2, Hibiki was quite humble.

"Well then I'll be asking you some questions about Japanese history. You can use any means to find the answer. Now then let's begin with the first question. Who was the Emperor of Japan during World-"

"Hirohito." Hibiki said just ask the question was being asked.

"Then what was the capital of Japan before Tokyo?"

"Kyoto."

"What is the traditional samurai sword of Japan-"

"Katana."

"Stop interrupting! Fine. Last question. In "The Tale of the Genji" which families or clans were involved in the conflict?" Hibiki took out his phone and started dialing. The boy with glasses just stared in disbelief because Hibiki wasn't getting flustered at all.

"Hello?" Wataru said as he and Mion were still in that position and his arm was still on top of his eyes.

"Yo Wataru! Did you finish your challenge yet?" Wataru remembered the accidental kiss Mion planted on his cheek. He gulped.

"Enough about that! Where are you?"

"I'm at the first stage."

"You're still at the first stage?!"

"Yeah. I let some girls go in front of me that's why."

"I get that you're a natural gentleman but if you keep wasting time, Rizumu could…" He glanced at a clueless Mion. "You know what I mean!"

"In that case, I'll hurry up and ask you. In "The Tale of the Genji" which families or clans were involved in the conflict?"

"The Taira and Minamoto families. Why are you asking about that?"

"No reason. Thanks Wataru! I'll meet you and Mion at the end of the challenge ok?" He hung up. "And with that, do I pass this challenge?" Hibiki smiled at the boy. He just let him by, completely awaited Hibiki next was a pair of ogres.

"Your task is simple, if you can get past that door and into the next room without being caught or even touched by us, you win." They charged for him. Hibiki dashed to the door only for the ogres to step in front of it and use that chance to catch him. He backed off and back-flipped.

"He isn't just an idol…" They tried to run faster. Hibiki was having fun being chased by ogres that couldn't get him.

"_Rizumu could… You know what I mean!"_ What Wataru said ran through Hibiki's head. He stopped and went back in a circle toward the wall.

"Here's our chance. Get him!" The 2 runners tried to double team him by coming from the left and right. Because Hibiki ran out before they could seize him, they bumped heads and gave up as they saw Hibiki go through the door. The look in the eye changed.

"Hello challenger! I see that you've finished that task! My task for you will be to impress me with your English skills. Please say at least 3 sentences with fluency."

"_I understand that I should be taking this challenge seriously but the only thing on my mind right now is getting to the end. For a girl I need to find and meet, I need to quickly finish all these challenges. So can I go on ahead?_" His fluency shocked the foreign girl. She just nodded. The next person to give him a task was a samurai who's face was hidden in the shadows.

"So you finally made it…" Sasahara emerged from the shadows and threw a katana at Hibiki.

"I assume we're duking it out?"

"Whoever gets the katana knocked out of their hands loses. Got it?"

"Sure…" They picked up the Japanese swords and charged at each other.

"I won't lose this challenge!"

"I won't either!" Hibiki yelled. The match wasn't going anywhere because the two were pretty much equal in strength.

"Why don't you hurry up and give up?"

"Sorry but I'm not about to do that. I need to get to Rizumu and nothing's going to stop me."

"Frankly that sounds annoying. What if Amamiya doesn't want to see you? Your actions sound selfish like any other idol." Sasahara was pushing Hibiki back.

"I believe in her. I believe that we will meet. That's why I don't plan on losing."

"Naïve!" Sasahara broke the contact of the katanas. "That way of thinking is just plain stupid! You know nothing for sure and rely on your feelings! You think everything will turn out your way because you're an idol! That's why I just hate idols! What do they know about how regular people feel?!"

"_I don't see why you're so sad. You never actually liked me either did you?" _That saying was being repeated in his head. He gritted his teeth from frustration. Hibiki charged at him and they clashed again.

"Don't jump to conclusions! I admit that, that way of thinking can be naïve but if I don't move forward how will I ever find out what will happen?! If I don't try hard enough to find Rizumu, I would be cowardly and relying on someone to help me! I will win this challenge and find Rizumu! Not as an idol but as a normal boy!" He overpowered Sasahara and knocked the katana out of his hands.

"_As a normal boy…?" _Sasahara realized what Hibiki was talking about.

"Even if you do find her, I still think your way of thinking is naïve."

"Well that's fine with me." Hibiki turned his head to give him a grin before he went through the door. Hibiki relaxed as he went to the pure white room.

"Good job Hibiki!"

"Hello Amy! So how much more until I can see Rizumu?"

"You'll see Yukimura first so good luck!"

"Yukimura? When did you start-"

"No one cares about that! Just go see her already!" She sounded incredibly happy. Hibiki opened the door at the end of the room and saw Rie as Alice in Wonderland.

"Hibiki!" She looked happy to see him.

"Hi Rie. That outfit suits you." She blushed.

"_What a lady's man… Compliments naturally come out of his mouth don't they?" _Ome thought as she look at the scene.

"T-Thank you Hibiki. Anyway my task for you will be to catch me before the timer runs out.

"Timer?" A giant clock appeared on the wall. The clock started at the 1 minute mark. Rie started running. Hibiki ran after her and realized what this looked like. It looked like something a couple does. He sped up but because Rie was embarrassed, her feet accelerated at an even faster speed.

"Rie! Can't you slow down?!"

"I'm sorry but I-I can't!" He tried to think of a way to get her to stop.

"I-If you don't stop Rie… I'll kiss you!" Her face turned completely pink and she sank to her feet. He touched her shoulder. "I wonder if that was too much…? Gomen Rie. I'll make this up to you." He ran to the door to the last challenge.

" 'I wonder if that was too much…?' Of course it was! Mou…" Amy glanced over at a Steve reading a book. She smirked as she plotting something.

"_I-If you don't stop Rie… I'll kiss you!" _Rizumu was sitting on top of the platform swinging her feet as that line kept being replayed in her head.

"_Was Hibiki serious…? I know I shouldn't interfere but I guess I can't deny that it hurts when I think about it…" _Hibiki walked in and saw no one at his eye level. As he looked up he saw a dazed Rizumu swinging her feet and watching the floor. A hint of color appeared on his cheeks.

"_Why does Rizumu look so sad?" _He yelled her name. She didn't hear it at all.

"Amamiya Rizumu!" She snapped out of it and glanced down to see Hibiki waving at her.

"Hibiki…" That reaction showed that something was wrong.

"Rizumu! What's my task?"

"Right! Your task will be to use any means besides violence to get me down from here without touching me. There's no time limit."

"Hm… Rizumu are you Jasmine?"

"Hai. But why are you-"

"You look cute you know. One of the cutest costumes I've ever seen you in." She was fidgeting. It wasn't a lie, he did think she was cute and it was the perfect time to say it.

"Mou! That won't make me come down!"

"I know. I just wanted to say it." She blushed as she was going to fall off. Hibiki ran directly below her and tried to catch her in his arms. Only thing was that she decided she didn't want to make it easy for him and climbed back up.

"I won't make it that easy to get me down Hibiki!" She stuck her tongue out which gave him a sign of relief.

"Aw… And I was waiting for you to fall into my arms… Are you sure Rizumu? This is a once in a lifetime chance you know?" She blushed as she gritted her teeth. "But at least you seem to be back to normal… You know that I get worried when you don't act like yourself you know?"

"H-Hibiki…?" Rie also heard it from the door behind them.

"Hibiki is worried for Amamiya Rizumu… It's frustrating but…" She thought about the rest of the sentence.

"_Maybe getting people to bully her is just wrong… What if Hibiki is sad that Amamiya Rizumu gets hurt? Then I'd never have a chance because he would never see me over Rizumu getting hurt… That means that he should already…" _

"I've been meaning to ask this for a while but Rizumu… Why did you keep it from me that you were going to ask a boy to use any means possible to get you down from there? What if you did come down and get attacked by those beasts?!"

"B-Beasts? Hibiki that's a bit…"

"Really… Why is that what you're worried about?! I'm worried that something will happen to you when I'm not around!" Rizumu looked down at him and blushed when she saw him seriously saying it. Rie looked concerned at what he said.

"Ya da ne Hibiki! You say that to all your fans don't you? After all you are a playboy that charms many girls-"

"I wouldn't say that to just any girl!"

"Then have you said it to Rie?" She was seriously asking him. He did say it to Rie but in a different way. His silence made Rizumu feel pained.

"_What kind of fool was I to ask a question that would make me feel bad?!" _One rope holding the platform up snapped. The platform was falling to one side. Rizumu grabbed the other rope but depression overpowered her and she let go. Hibiki saw her drooping eyes and falling figure as he tried to catch her. As she was falling, Rizumu thought back to her conversation with Ome.

"_Rizumu. I don't think you should go along with your task because that platform is too shaky to be used. The ropes holding it up could snap at any moment."_

"_I'll be ok! I'm sure I'll survive!"_

"_Rizumu… Are you feeling sad about what Hibiki said to Rie?"_

"_Of course not! It's his own choice not mine."_

"_But if you keep acting like that, Rie will win his heart! Is that what you want?!"_

"_Of course not! But…"_

"_Even if Hibiki is a playboy, I think he is naturally worried for you. Do you know what that means?"_

"_What does it mean?"_

"_That you're important to him. More important than you think." _A streak of tears came down her right eye.

"_Even if I am important, that doesn't mean that I'm more important than Rie. I guess I'm not satisfied with that… Why am I so selfish…? It'd be better to just disappear so Hibiki doesn't need to worry about me and Rie at the same time."_ He caught her and embraced her tightly. Rie opened the door and her eyes widened.

"It hurts…" Rizumu tried to get out of his tight hug.

"What were you thinking?! Why'd you let go?! Did you want to die right in front of me?!" When he let go, her crying face stared back at him.

"Is that wrong? If I'm gone then you can worry about one less person you know?"

"Baka! I worry about you because I want to! Don't say that!" He was trembling, really scared that he was going to lose her.

"I'm sorry… I do like the Hibiki that's nice to everyone…" Rie closed the door.

"_It isn't for sure yet so I won't give up yet. Only if he tells me that himself then I will give up… But since that hasn't happened yet, I have to stay strong! I'm Yukimura Rie after all!"_

"Please promise me that you won't do anything like that again…"

"I promise so let go of me ok Hibiki?" He still had his hand on her shoulder. Rizumu tried to smile for him but it wasn't working. As she tried to curve her mouth into a smile, her lips started trembling as hot tears fell.

"Rizumu?! Are you hurt?! What's wrong? Please tell me!" He shook her. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Can I lay on your shoulder for a while? I-I'm sorry…" He stayed in that position for her. She started to let out all her feelings through tears.

"_I've always hoped that I could make her feel better… Just why is that?" _

"Hey I've been meaning to say this for a while but these 3 pairs are really idiotic you know?"

"Hm… So I'm not the only one that thought that." He whistled.

"And that came from a friend. I wonder what a stranger would say."

"Stop joking around. You want to ask me why I rigged the lottery box right?"

"So you knew?" His expression turned serious again.

"Of course. Don't underestimate me. After seeing all of this I've been questioning if what I did really was right. I know I'm nosy but-"

"Nosy is an understatement. You're uncivilized, nosy and hot-headed." He grinned as she glared at him. She decided to push that insult aside for a bit.

"Really I want us all to have a happy ending but from now on, I don't know what could happen to any of us… That's what I'm worried about. What if I end up making them all unhappy by setting up something that could hurt all of them?"

"If you ask me I'm more worried about a person that is too caught up in other people's business. If they get hurt she will blame herself because she'll think it's her fault. Frankly I don't that's the case. And I want her to just stay out of it but knowing her, she won't even consider the idea."

"Are you talking about Aira?"

"She does act like that too? Wait-you know who I'm talking about!"

"Then are you talking about me or girls in general?"

"What do you think?"

"You're so difficult sometimes you know…"

"I try to be."

"You really are a baka… But thanks for the thought."

"Should I say you're welcome to that?"

"Interpret it however you like." She smiled.

"Now who's the difficult one?" They were both satisfied with the outcome.

* * *

"Let's go!" Callings pulled the girls that were with them all toward the prize room.

"Yo! Shou! Hibiki!" Wataru was the first to notice them.

"Wataru! You're done with your route too?"

"Of course!" The girls all noticed each other and blushed from embarrassment.

"_Mion…_ Just what were you doing with Wataru…?" Rizumu teased her as she stared at the connection between them. Mion looked down at what Rizumu was getting at and noticed that Wataru wasn't just holding her hand, their fingers were even entwined. Mion stopped and fell back from embarrassment. Wataru, who was being too focused on a failing Mion, banged his head on the wall and fell on her.

"Mou! Rizumu Chan! Ah! Mion Chan! Are you ok?! W-Wataru san!" Aira was gasping.

"H-Holding hands with W-Wataru… Wah…" Mion mumbled as she was dizzy.

"What in the world is going on today…?" Wataru looked just as confused as Mion.

"Wataru… G-Get off of me…"

"Let me rest…"

"Heavy…" Mion tried to get someone to help her by extending her hand. Aira couldn't do anything because she was panicking. Aira was also locking hands with Shou. But with her clumsiness, she tripped forward and fell into Shou's arms when he realized quite quickly what happened.

"Careful!" He held her shoulders as he peered down at her, wondering what caused her to go back to being klutzy.

"Sorry Shou san…" Aira looked into his eyes.

"A-Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No…" They just continued to stare at each other because Shou didn't exactly want to end this scene and Aira was completely out of it. By this point, Hibiki and Rizumu stopped running too because their friends had some issues getting back on their feet.

"Mou! Aira! Mion! What's wrong?!" She looked creeped out when there was an air full of roses to her right(Aira and Shou in a daze) and a pair knocked out by her feet. She started panicking and scrambling around to find a solution. Hibiki stopped her before she ran into the door.

"Calm down Rizumu!" He was so close to her which made her feel awkward. He also seemed to have no problem with holding hands tightly with his. She looked away which made him want to tease her. "Rizumu why are you so red? Is it because I'm so close to you?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear. That made Rizumu tremble as she fidgeted in place.

"T-That's not it! I-It's just that I'll probably never get used to being this c-close…" She covered her face as Hibiki felt a bit strange about her honesty toward him. They were both getting shy. When Hibiki looked at her seriously, he took the strand of her hair and brought it to his lips. Rizumu couldn't do anything and just reddened away.

"How was my acting?"

"Eh?"

"It's so much fun to tease you, you know Rizumu? Your pink face is so cute." He poked her nose.

"Mou! Playboy Hibiki!" She was swinging her hands in a circle to get out of Hibiki's grip on her shoulders as he was having fun with her reactions.

"Did you think I was kidding?"

"Then you weren't teasing me?" Her eyebrows were twitching as she anticipated the answer. Her mouth was quivering.

"Maybe~" Her mouth fell open as her face got hot and steamy.

"Gah…" The door opened. Ome and the boy they haven't seen before looked at them like they were crazy, well actually the scene in front of them was ridiculous. They closed the door and opened it again to see the same scene.

"Did we interrupt at a weird time?" Ome looked creeped out at Shou looking into Aira's eyes, as if he were a valiant prince that just saved her life and asked her to marry him.

"What happened there?" On the other side, Mion and Wataru looked like they were dying as dark aura came from them. Ome thought of a good idea.

"Oi, lend me your ear."

"Don't tear it off, now." She pulled it down anyway. She whispered the plan to him.

"I guess it was a good idea to bring my camera then?"

"And my iPod?" They grinned at each other.

"So who's getting the surprise?"

"Of course you are. After all you can't make me do it can you?"

"I can't?" He leaned toward her.

"What are you pulling?" She smirked at him. He moved in closer until they were face to face with each other.

"What are your thoughts on this?"

"You've gone crazy. Are you practicing lines for a girl you like?"

"_Her reactions are never girly…"_

"Not particularly. Just wanted to try it out." He backed up and rubbed his head.

"I'm going to get a stereo." She ran off and came back in just a minute. He brought out a confetti ball used to congratulate winners.

"Ready?" She tied her hair into a ponytail.

"Don't mess up on me now." They grinned as Ome pressed the switch and started the song, Shojotachi Yo from AKB48. The couples were completely shocked out of their minds from the booming music set up next to their ears and fell down. Steve kept taking pictures of their reactions. When the music stopped the confetti ball popped, showering the pairs with confetti all over their heads.

"What is this?!" Mion and Rizumu yelled, angry at the rude awakening. Wataru was right next to Mion and Rizumu ended up in Hibiki's lap somehow.

"Ome…" They all called to her.

"Gomen Gomen. It was really hard not to prank you when you were just standing there and spacing out. Besides this one helped me."

"Don't call me 'this one'! I'm Steve Lin."

"And that's what he says. I think you boys will all get along." The 6 stared at the boy next to Ome. His height was just about Hibiki's tallness, his hair was a cross between short textured black hair and faux hawk hair and his eyes were a bright marine color. In a way, he was handsome. MARs studied him.

"By Steve Lin… You're also Chinese American like Ome?" Mion asked.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, beautiful Takamine Mion-No, Prince Aurora." Mion stared at him in surprise. Wataru eyed him. He didn't like the tone of his voice because it sounded overly affectionate.

"Um, what class are you in? I haven't seen you before have I?" Aira asked him.

"I'm in 1-C with Ome and energetic Amamiya Rizumu san, lovely Harune Aira san, no Kaguya Hime." She blushed at the compliment.

"Eh? Why haven't I seen you around then?" Rizumu asked.

"Because I was the quiet type that skipped class most of the time and if I were in class, you'd see a book on my face, cute Amamiya Rizumu san or should I say Princess Jasmine?" She felt a bit happy about the compliment, earning Steve another pair of staring eyes at him besides Wataru and Shou's menacing glares at him. Ome motioned for him to bring his face down. She whispered in his ear to which MARs overreacted to.

"Kora, stop deliberately getting the guys jealous!"

"Who said it was purposely? I actually wanted to say all those things."

"You…" And looking at them like that gave MARs and Callings some ideas.

"Um… Lin kun? What is your-" MARs shoved Callings aside as they finished the thought.

"What's your relationship?! Spill it Ome!"

"Relationship? You make it sound like something's going on here."

"Of course! You guys look like a-" It was Callings' turn to interrupted them.

"Look here we want to know what's the relationship between you two!" They all pointed at them.

"Don't finish that thought." They looked at each other and said simultaneously, "We're friends with a capital F." MARs and Callings stared at them in surprise.

"But you guys are totally-"

"No no no!" They said together. "Not with this idiot/not with this girl with no appeal to guys whatsoever!" Each of them got a angry vein on their heads.

"You've really said it haven't you?" They both said to each other as tensions started. As they were in their respective fighting poses, MARs and Callings could've sworn they saw an evil eyed rabbit on Ome's side versus a powerful dragon on Steve's side.

"Shouldn't we stop them?!" Aira and Rizumu yelled.

"Of course not. They probably do this on a daily basis…" Mion said.

"Let's not get involved shall we?" They watched the two students in their regular uniforms fight head on.

"Hey what's wrong?! You've gotten slower!" Steve said as they were evenly matched in punches.

"You're eye sight has just started deteriorating fool!" She tried to kick him but he got a hold of her foot.

"Looks like I win today Ome!" He swung her around. She secretly grinned.

"What are you talking about?!" She used her left leg and sent kicks flying his way. And because of surprise he let go of her foot giving her an escape with a backflip. She landed on her feet as she kneeled but her knees didn't touch the floor.

"Wah! Sugoi!" Even Rizumu couldn't manage that.

"As expected of a kung fu and karate champion. Your kicks are ridiculously hard to dodge."

"I take that as a declaration of a tie?" The nodded at each other.

"And with that, the fight for today is over." MARs and Callings looked surprised.

"What fight for today?! It looked like you guys were really trying!"

"Her trying? You haven't seen anything yet."

"What about you? You weren't trying either. Your punches were slower than usual. It must be because we're in a small place right?"

"The next battle takes place outdoors."

"I'd have it no other way." They were back to normal.

"_W-What is this kind of relationship is this…? I can't comprehend…" _

"Anyway, come this way so you can get your prizes." They followed them through the doors of the prize room. Crystal balls waited for them.

"What are these?"

"Crystal balls. Ah!" She waved at the other 6 coming in too.

"You really did make the crystal balls!" Higuchi and Ome high fived.

"Of course! So are you guys here to see the results?" They nodded.

"What prize?"

"You guys each pick a crystal and inside it will be the person you get to order around on the 25th."

"Hai?!" MARs blushed as they knew Callings was going to find out. They stepped up and looked at all the colors.

"Oh and just so you know, the colors are not the theme colors of MARs or KIYUMI so don't pick a color because the girls like that color." Callings looked really confused. KIYUMI and MARs was anxious about their choice. Callings finally picked with Shou holding a peach pink crystal ball, Hibiki with an orange one and Wataru with a red one. They looked at their choices and waited for the image to appear. Hibiki looked surprised by who it was. Ome and Steve peered down to see who the "lucky" person was.

"Ah." The stared at the image of Rizumu winking and smiling at the person behind her.

"Eh?! Me?!" Rizumu pointed to herself as Rie looked concerned. Hibiki walked toward Rizumu to get her all worked up again. Rie interfered.

"Wait! Since it isn't the 25th, Hibiki can still hang out with me today!" She tugged him back. Jiro looked at them. He didn't have much to say and looked back at Wataru. He had an embarrassed expression on his face as Ome and Steve confirmed his choice.

"Isn't that good for you Wataru? Getting to keep an image of Mion." The picture displayed was Mion's gentle expression to a small kitten under her umbrella, which made the girl herself go red.

"Good luck Mion Chan!" Higuchi hoped Wataru wouldn't ask anything weird of her.

"It's not like this a big deal!" Tsundere Mion emerged again. And Shou's choice left him twitching his eyebrow. Ome burst out laughing while Steve laughed to himself.

"Well I can understand. I'm interested in girls not boys. MARs is beautiful you know?" Shou felt devastated that of all people to get to boss around, it had to be the freshman that he didn't talk to very much. A grinning Adams was staring at him.

Callings all walked over to him and talk to him.

"Do you have any special feelings for MARs? This is just asking out of curiosity."

"Of course I do. They are all so cute that I'd love to tease them to no end!"

"You can't!"

"Just kidding! I'm not as big of a playboy as you idols are. I can see what's really going on here. Don't worry."

"Then you won't pursue MARs?"

"No. It was just for fun."

"Then do you have any girl you like?"

"I don't see how that refers to anything in this conversation?"

"If you do have someone you like, we have a better chance of trusting you when you say you won't pursue MARs."

"Hm…? 'Girl you like' huh?" He looked over at the crowd of students in the room. Because it was so crowded, Callings couldn't tell who exactly he was looking at. Ome came up to them.

"Well I can understand. I'm sure you wouldn't be happy to have a picture of another guy would you?" It was obvious that they weren't sympathizing with him, they were having fun making fun of his misfortune. Adams wasn't happy either.

"And now that the winners have gotten their results, why don't we all walk around the school and play some games?"

"Sure!" They were still fighting about who was going to hang around with who as they walked to the door. As he was walking out of the corner, Steve hit his toe on the table which actually hurt. When Steve saw a thumbtack facing up on the floor he avoided it only to bump into the table again. And since the guy was strong, his idea of bumping onto the table was more than just "bumping" into it. As he turned around, he saw Ome. He turned around but because his toe hurt, he couldn't regain his balance.

"Oi! Get it together!" Hibiki stopped to try to help. But he ended up just staring at them like the eleven of them near the door. Ome tried to grab his arm but her arm hit his elbow which made it worse. They were going down fast.

"Hurry up and get out of the way!"

"You falling on top of me doesn't give me a choice! Baka!" At that point, it really didn't matter to Steve if he did fall on Ome because it was a bit too late. MARs, KIYUMI, Adams and Higuchi were excited over the fact that the friends with a capital F were going to fall on each other. Sasahara looked annoyed as usual. But she ruined their hopes by ducking and throwing him over and behind her. Steve fell on Hibiki was made the onlookers all surprised. Rie and Rizumu gasped. Ome grinned because right in front of her was a scene that would probably never happen again. A Boys Love kiss was right in front of everyone's eyes. Ome just laughed while everyone else looked creeped out that the boys both froze.

"_My f-first kiss…" _Hibiki thought to himself while Steve had a disgusted expression on his face. They were stunned.

"Well then we'll call this divine punishment for Hibiki."

"Eh?!" Everyone looked at her for an explanation.

**Now Readers what exactly did Hibiki do to deserve divine punishment? *I didn't throw Steve into him on purpose***

**Hibiki: Ome! Why?! **

**Ome: Because you deserved punishment for not even knowing what you did. Fufu~**

**Steve: There was no need to throw me into him!**

**Ome: Well I didn't want you to fall on me. I didn't have much of a choice. **

**Rizumu: Mou Ome! Just admit it already! You and Steve could totally be a couple! I'll give you guys my blessing!**

**Aira: Me too!**

**Steve: Really? I'd prefer a girlfriend like one of you idols! You're so cute unlike someone that can't act cute for anything…**

**Mion: What about it Ome? *hoping to get her flustered for once***

**Ome: Not even if hell froze over. *looking quite pale from the thought* *everyone falls except Steve that saw it coming***

**Wataru and Shou: Are you sure? I'm sure it can work out somehow Ome!**

**Ome: I'm not sure you should be focusing on my relationships when you have your own love stories to straighten out. *grin* **

**Aira and Rizumu: Kyah! You said relationships! You really do have a thing for Steve!**

**Ome: Hah? I don't see how that's relevant to the word relationship? I do have a relationship with him because we talk but it leans toward the friendship zone.**

**Mion: There's no need to explain yourself to us Ome. Just go out with him!**

**Ome: You people… Don't you have your own problems to deal with? Do you really want to get into my business when your love- *grinning showing that she's planning to set something up***

**Callings: Why don't you get embarrassed or flustered at all?! *drop down from disappointment and defeat* *the spotlight shines on them***

**KIYUMI: Callings! Hang in there! Mou Ome! Why won't you-**

**Ome: I have my weaknesses. Like snakes… *Sasahara walks in with a snake around his neck* **

**Everyone: **_**How's this?!**_** *Ome pats the snake on its head* *everyone gets trolled and falls down in defeat***

**Everyone: **_**Why does she have no weaknesses?!**_

**Ome: That rude everyone. I have my faults. It's just that I don't plan to tell you people! **

***It's the truth. As this story progresses that weakness or the weaknesses I have will be revealed!~***

**~~~~~~~~You never know what could happen to you when you're with the person you love the most. That's what makes love fun! Wait, Wait, Wait, just because I said that don't go falling into love because it sounds fun :D~~~~~~~~**


	15. What Is This!

"Let's go try out some food stands Hibiki!" Rie pulled him closer to her.

"Hibiki's going with me!" Rizumu pulled him toward her.

"What are you doing? Don't get in my way!"

"You're the one getting in my way!" The gritted teeth as they fought.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just separate and walk around in groups? There's fourteen of us." Steve suggested.

"We could totally do that if you have any bright ideas on how to get those two to stop." Mion and Ome said together.

"Rizumu Chan, I'm sure Hibiki san will go around the festival with you even if you don't pull on his sleeve…" Rizumu wasn't listening to Aira. A girl in the crowd grabbed Aira by the arm.

"Harune Aira, we need you to come with us!"

"Chotto!" She dragged her into the crowd.

"Aira!" Shou ran after her. Higuchi got caught into the crowd too.

"What's going on?!" Rie lost him in the crowd as she got stuck in it too. All fourteen of them were struggling to get out of the crowd. Rizumu felt someone grab her arm. Sasahara pulled her out of the crowd toward him.

"Sasahara…"

"What's with these rude people?!" Kiri came out and saw them too.

"Ah! Adams! Over here!"

"Hm? Where's _everyone_?"

"Eh? Ebi? They might sell ebi at the festival! Let's go check it out!"

"What's ebi?"

"Eh? Weren't you asking about shrimp?"

"No? What happened to everyone?"

"Oh! That's what you meant! I don't know. We all got split apart! But anyways Adams let's go explore the school while we still have a chance. That's of course if you want to come with us, right Kazuya?"

"Whatever you say."

"Can I really?"

"Of course! And since Mion's not here, you don't have to argue with anyone! I know how it feels to be in an argument with Mion!" They laughed happily.

"Um… What do I call…" Rizumu smiled at her.

"Call me whatever you want! I have so many names already. Rizumu, Rizumu Chan, Amamiya, the Prism Star that can't study… And him? Anything you want!"

"Oi! Don't decide for me!"

"Too late for that~"

"Then Rizumu san…"

"Take that –san off! It sounds weird! We're the same age anyway!"

"Ok Rizumu!"

"Then I'll call you Kiri! Is that ok with you?"

"Hai!" Rizumu grabbed her arm and ran toward the food booths as they left Kazuya behind.

"Watch where you're going!"

"I know! Stop sounding like a mommy!" The girls laughed in unison. But Rizumu ran into a boy of large build anyway. His face looked scary too.

"What's with you?" He stared down at Rizumu.

"Rizumu! It doesn't look good!" Rizumu winked at her.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you!" She backed up.

"That won't do it! Look what you did!" He tugged at the orange stain on his uniform.

"That isn't from me! I'm not carrying any juice!"

"Hey aren't you Amamiya Rizumu?"

"What if I am?"

"Hang out with me! Oh wait! This girl is cute too!" He turned to Kiri who looked disgusted as she saw him staring at her.

"Why should I have to hang out with the likes of you?!"

"Well said Kiri!" Rizumu whispered to her.

"Hah?" He reached to grab Kiri's wrist to which Kazuya intercepted.

"Hurry up and get lost. You're not that dumb that you can't tell that they want to get away from you are you?"

"You should get lost! I'm talking to them."

"And I'm telling you to get lost. Do you not get that?" Sasahara's amber eyes were glaring at him.

"You leave me no choice then! Beat me at that and I'll leave them alone. If I win, they're coming with me." He pointed to the shooting for prizes booth.

"You asked for it." They walked over and put a few coins down each.

"Beat him Kazuya!" Rizumu cheered for him.

"You… You do know that it was you that started all of this right?"

"Of course I do! But you got into the fight with him…" He sighed.

"Why am I wasting valuable energy?"

"Why are you conserving energy in the first place?" Kiri asked to which Rizumu was trying to cover her reaction to because it was a funny question.

"Sorry to interrupt but the contest will be the thing these two want."

"So? What do you want Amamiya?" Kiri looked a bit shaken that he asked about Rizumu off the bat.

"Hm… Ah! That box of caramels! I wanna try it!" Sasahara shot for it almost immediately. The candy came flying off the shelf. His opponent stared at him in surprise.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!"

"You never said when I could shoot." He took the candy and gave it to Rizumu who opened it and put a piece of caramel in her mouth. He smiled for just a few seconds at her happily eating the caramel.

"Fine. What do you want girl?" He turned to Kiri. She looked around and saw a stuffed bunny. She pointed to it. They looked determined to get it.

"That is a cute bunny!"

"But maybe it was too big for him to win it…" Rizumu pushed a piece of caramel into her mouth. She looked at her surprised.

"Have faith in him. That's the only thing we can do right now besides enjoy the candy. Is it good?"

"Un…" They turned to see Kazuya holding the bunny in his right hand.

"Woah… He won that fast!" He threw the stuffed plushie into her Kiri's arms. She was happy and hugged it.

"How could I lose?!"

"Nee? Can I go next?" Rizumu raised her hand as Sasahara gave her the shooter.

"Remember you have one shot left."

"Hai! So what should we aim for?"

"Rizumu! How about that cute teddy bear?"

"If Kiri says so! How about it?" He nodded as they got ready. When he looked over he felt like he should go a bit easy on the girl so he didn't aim exactly on the bear. This caused Rizumu to win because she shot at the bear before he even knew what he was doing.

"Congratulations! You won a teddy bear and a green frog plushie!" The booth owner yelled while ringing a bell. As Rizumu went back to give it to Kiri the boy's mouth dropped open as he walked away.

"Here Kiri!" She held up the teddy bear to give to Kiri.

"Eh? That should be for you because you won it. Besides you like teddy bears don't you? Like that teddy bear with the Prism Stone on it?"

"I got it for you Kiri! And I do but I thought it'd suit you better than it would me."

"Then how about we keep one each and remember it as a sign of friendship?"

"Good idea! Want some more caramel?"

"Hai!"

"_Have they forgotten that I did get two of the three prizes?"_ But he couldn't stay mad when he saw the two freshman girls getting along.

* * *

"Why isn't there anyone around?" Rie stood next to a tree to get out of the crowd. She sensed someone coming behind her and punched the person in the face. The boy went flying back.

"T-That's mean Rie… I was just…"

"Jiro! Mou! Don't scare me like that!"

"S-Scared? It was obvious that you were trying to kill me…" She rushed over to help him up.

"Higuchi kun?" Hibiki came from behind him as well. Rie ran to him, teary eyed.

"Hibiki! Jiro's dying! Ah!" He glanced over at a Higuchi twitching his hand as he had a bruise on his face.

"_Wah… I feel bad for him… What did he do?" _He walked over and poked him in the face. He sat straight up.

"He's alive! Hibiki!" She hugged his arm thinking that he saved him when he really didn't do anything. When Higuchi came to his senses, his reaction definitely insulted Rie.

"When did you start acting like a girl Rie? It's weird…" She was getting ready to punch him when she saw the bruise she left on his cheek.

"Why is it weird for me to act like a girl?"

"Because you're a terrible actor."

"What?! Zhang's even less feminine than I am!"

"Wait, what does she have to do with this?" Hibiki asked being in the middle of them.

"At least Ome doesn't try to act like a girl. She'd probably act worse than you Rie." Ome fell down in the middle of the crowd at that moment in time.

"Who's talking about me?"

"Enough about that! What makes you think that-"

"You'd listen to me? Well frankly I think you should just act like yourself because Toudou senpai here can already tell what you're really like. There's no point in hiding your real personality from him is there?" She was getting ready to say something back but Hibiki jumped in.

"That's right Rie. I want to get to know you better so there's no reason to hide your true personality from me. It's not like I'll hate you. There's no way that'll happen."

"_But you won't exactly like me either will you?" _She thought but couldn't voice it out. When she turned to Jiro again, he blinked at her because she was just staring at him.

"_A band aid won't work so…" _

"I'll be right back!" She ran into the crowd leaving the 2 boys dumbfounded. Jiro tried to find her in the crowd.

"Really Higuchi kun, you're so easy to read."

**Ome: Ara? Hibiki you make it sound like you aren't.**

**Hibiki: I'm a gentleman by nature so I'm not that easy to read.**

**Ome: Really? I was thinking that you saw a resemblance between Rie and Rizumu when you told her "I want to get to know you better." But I was thinking too much I guess?**

**Hibiki: If you knew that much stop feigning ignorance! **

"What are you talking about senpai?"

"Rie." Jiro gulped at that kind of answer. The girl herself came at them and slapped Jiro with the ice bag she brought back.

"Stop the violence Rie!" He yelled at her as she covered her face after she hit him with the ice bag.

"Be grateful! I went through a lot of trouble to get that!"

"Hm…" He pressed it against his cheek as Hibiki laughed at them.

"_Underclassmen these days…"_

* * *

"Why does this have to happen to me!?" Ome pulled Mii out of the crowd.

"Whew…" They both sat on the ground breathing heavily.

"Mii Chan? Ome?" Wataru and Seiji came toward them.

"Great timing. Carry this girl Adams."

"What?!" The girl in question yelled.

"What's up Yamanishi? I even gave you this chance to get carried by a boy."

"Why do I need to be carried?! No way!"

"Mou! Stop being stubborn and get on with it!" Two girls blocked Ome from pushing Mii into Adams.

"Zhang Amy! Yamanishi Mii! We need more competitors so we'll use you two!" They grabbed them and ran.

"Why do strange things happen to me?!"

"Let go of me!"

"Oi! Don't barge into a conversation like that!" The guys ran after them and stopped when they reached a survival game arena.

"Hyuuga senpai, what's this?"

"T-The survival club's game I guess…?"

"Was there such a club?"

"The President allows any club as long as they can appeal to him apparently…"

"Being Treasurer must be hard isn't it senpai?" As they were chatting the curtains opened and the angry pair of girls stood on one side of the game. Mii and Ome were on fire with fury because they were so mad.

"_Just because I'm short?! Don't joke with me!" _Ome tapped her foot.

"_Why do I have to join this because I have green eyes?!" _Mii was just as angry.

"Looks like that sudden decision to bring them into this really got them angry…" Wataru and Seiji were a bit happy they weren't participating and just watching.

"Wataru!" Shou waved to him as he came over with Steve.

"Shou and Steve? What a weird combination…"

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Aira was dragged in to help prepare the costumes and Mion got scouted to play the game too…"

"Mion too?! Ome and Mii are already this angry…" They all looked up to see the girl challengers.

"We will know be commencing our survival challenge for the Christmas Festival! Now girls! Please get into groups of threes!" Mii and Ome stayed where they were as their faces were frozen with anger and popping veins on the side of their heads. Mion also had fire around her too.

"Ah." The fires were extinguished.

"What are you guys doing here?" Mion asked.

"You were scouted too weren't you?"

"Yes…"

"Ok! Now that the groups are decided, we'll start by announcing the prizes! The trio that wins gets a new laptop with their custom color, sweets that'll last for a week and have the chance to perform a Prism Show!" Each of the 3 prizes got them motivated.

"_Performing a Prism Show means MARs will be more popular…" _Mion's eyes were on fire.

"_I want the laptop…"_ Ome looked just as determined.

"_I want the sweets…" _Mii grinned.

"We're going to win aren't we?" Ome asked.

"Un!" The four boys watching them knew it would get bad if the girls tried as hard as they could to win but just smiled because it was obvious that there wasn't much for them to do to stop them.

"Ok! First challenge!" The game field changed to a river with alligators in it.

"Oi… Doesn't this happen in every survival game?" Ome stared down at the alligators with their mouths open.

"Girls! You have 4 minutes on the clock! Get pass these alligators and land on the other side!" Mii leaped on top of the alligators and got to the other side by stepping on four of their heads.

"All the girls of one time must get to the other side before the time limit to pass this round!"

"I'm not good with alligators…" There were two minutes left.

"As much as I adore you Mion, I want that laptop so I resort to doing this!" She took Mion's arm and spun her around and toward Mii.

"Chotto-" Mion and Mii both said as Mion was heading straight for Mii. They crashed into each other as Ome jumped onto the alligators.

"Now that looks like it hurts…" All the boys were stunned.

"Ome! I would've killed you right now if we weren't on the same team!" Mii said.

"Gomen…" She scratched her head. The next competition was swinging on vines to get to another obstacle. For once the three of them were in sync. Then came a dangerous obstacle: dodging axes going up and down.

"Only one girl from a team needs to pass this challenge!" Ome tied her hair in a ponytail.

"O-Ome?"

"I'm going to make sure I get that laptop." She charged to get past the axes. She was already halfway through when she realized that she was under an axe that was coming down. She jumped up.

"Ome!" Mii and Mion were worried.

"Kora! Wasn't this game tested already?!"

"Of course not! The President said it was ok since it sounded fun!"

"Shou! Hibiki! What exactly are you guys doing as treasurer and vice-president?!" She landed on top of one of the axes.

"It seems like a challenger got on top of the ax " The commentor's glasses flashed. "Sorry to say but that won't save you from this challenge! Watch it!" She noticed a ball coming at her and dodged it. She noticed the club members shooting the volleyballs from a cannon and looked furious.

"You've gone and made me serious now haven't you…?" She ran for the other side while kicking balls that got in her way. The balls she kicked all ended up making dents on the ground they landed on.

"Hey do you think she's going to come after Hibiki and me with that kind of enthusiasm?"

"You call that enthusiasm?" A ball came flying at Steve and Seiji.

"Oi! Watch we're you're kicking!" Steve yelled.

"That was dangerous!" She wasn't listening as she got to the other side. All the axes stopped instantly and made way for Mii and Mion.

"Hurry up girls! We're going to win this competition aren't we?" They ran to her.

"Not so fast!" The commentor said which signaled all the teams of girls to split apart at the middle. "Each of you girls must face your own challenges to get back your team members back." Mion looked disappointed that she was in a room that looked fit for dancing. Mii looked at this long obstacle course made for an endurance test and sighed. Ome was face to face with a bear. All girl competitors that were still in the game were depicted on 3 screens, switching from girl to girl.

"Hey survival club! You must have a grudge against me for making your ideas look stupid and easy to beat aren't you? Keep it up!" She looked really entertained.

"Survival club! You must really love me for giving me the chance to beat someone in dancing!" Mion looked confident too.

"Don't you guys know that my good point was never giving up?! Endurance is no problem!" The club members let that get to them as they were angry from the remarks.

"Hurry up and pick a song so I can show you my perfect dance moves!" Wataru was relieved that Mion looked like she was enjoying herself.

"So who's going to go against me?!" Mii looked happy which made Adams just as content.

"Go Mii Chan!" She looked full of energy.

"Don't kill the bear Ome!"

"You're supposed to be cheering me on! Don't be such a spoilsport! You ruined the happy moment baka!"

"Then I pick Kokoro Juuden!"

"Wherever you are, Rizumu, just know that I'm about to outdo you at your own dance!" The music came on and the spotlight shone on Mion.

"Just try and beat me at running!"

"Who says I'm trying?! Don't mock me! I'm _going_ to beat you!" They took off running.

"Better test if this really is a bear!" Ome drop kicked her opponent.

"_I wonder how they were able to get a bear here…?" _Mion got out of her trial pretty fast with Mii coming out right behind her, a bit tired.

"Are you ok?" Mion held out her hand and Mii took it.

"Hai…"

"Then let's wait for Ome alright Mii san?"

"Then can I call you Mion?"

"Of course Mii!" They were on better terms already.

"Hey girls! Give me a random move name right now!" Ome yelled to them.

"Don't ask me that suddenly!" Mii looked happy by the request though.

"A round house kick!" Ome grinned as she jumped on the bear's shoulder and came back down to hit it.

"A round house kick coming right up!" She kicked it in the neck.

"Yosha!" The girls looked happy but it was cut short because the bear wasn't done. It looked mad. Ome proceeded to furiously attack it with punches to the stomach but the bear just grabbed Ome by her ankle and got ready to swing her. With her turned upside down by the bear, Ome closed her eyes and thought.

"Ome!"

"Don't worry about it!"

"What's there to not worry about?! Watch out Amy!" Ome's ankle was let go and she was sent flying. When the smoke was cleared everyone was surprised to see her just fine with a slight cut on her hand.

"I told you that there was nothing to worry about! I'll be there soon so don't worry girls!"

"But how are you going to defeat a bear?!"

"Sock it!" She dashed to it and jumped again. She kneed the bear in the face. Everyone who looked thought the same thing.

"_I feel bad for that bear…"_ The bear got back up and charged to Ome. They were even in punching.

"Keep it up! This is fun!" She was grinning. When the bear hit the wall behind her, she used the chance to punch the bear in the face. "For the girls!" She sent the bear flying back. She came out smiling as there were some scratches on her face.

"Mou! Always being reckless!" Mion went and stretched her cheeks.

"But thanks for the last punch…" Mii said.

"Don't sweat it! Come on!" They all stood.

"S-Since this team has cleared their trials we'll announce the last obstacle!" The arena changed again, this time it looked like a giant race.

"Whichever team emerges at the finish line wins!" They all ran off. The team of three were all in sync whether it was rock climbing, getting out of spiderwebs or getting out of a cave. When they ran out of the first cave they saw a table.

"Now girls! Pick up a piece of paper and find that thing in the crowd!" The girls looked at their choice.

"A hair tie?" Ome took the hair tie out of her hair, undoing her ponytail.

"Ome gets the easy thing!" Mii looked at her paper. She found the group of boys she knew and headed for them just like Mion. Ome caught of glimpse of what their papers said and grinned.

"Wataru!" Mion pulled him toward her as they ran to the person inspecting the findings. Mii pulled the person closest to her and only realized it was Adams when she was nearing the inspection.

"This will be done soon!" The person smiled as he saw the paper and then Mii's reaction when she saw Adams. Mion turned even more red when the person looked at Wataru and grinned.

"Mou, Mion stop being so embarrassed!" Mion ripped the paper with Wataru and Ome each getting a piece of it.

"_Someone that…" _Wataru read what the paper said. Ome gave him her part of the paper and pushed Mion along.

"Someone that… Races…" Wataru read the parts he obtained as he looked at a running Mion. Mii's paper flew out of her hand and into Adams's hand.

"Someone that you admire…" He smiled at her as she ran away too. "Good Luck Mii Chan!" She gave him a peace sign. The girls saw the goal. Other teams were still in the competition too. Mion was a bit tired.

"Mion? Are you ok? We can-"

"No way! Why do you think I tried this hard?!" The team ran as fast as they could and were on are with another group of girls. But with only a feet away from the goal, Mion and Mii thought of a good plan.

"Ome! This is payback!" They grabbed her arms and swung her to the goal banner. She fell on her face after she hit the banner.

"Yay!" Ome was dizzy as the boys went up to congratulate them.

"Mou…" Steve kneeled down. "Get it together. Weren't we supposed to go to the stalls to eat?"

"And you're paying?" She got back on her feet.

"Why not?"

"And now that you've said that, I'll be sure to have a long list waiting! After all, food tastes even better when someone else pays!"

"Only you could say such an irritating thing with a happy face…"

"Let's go!" Mion and Mii stopped her.

"_Ome Chan_… Have you forgotten the prizes?"

"But I can get the laptop later. Besides Mii can have all the sweets she wants since Steve's treating treating me to food and I don't want to do a Prism Show." Her response to everything scared them.

"You're not getting out of this! We're doing a Prism Show Ome!"

"No way! Call Aira and Rizumu!"

"I have no idea where they are! Come on! We won so we have to show them an amazing show!"

"We already did! And I don't even know how to do a Prism Show!"

"Quit the lies!"

"Mou Mion calm down!" Wataru tried to be of some help.

"How about you guys do a Prism Show?" Mion looked disgusted at the fact that if she did a Prism Show with the boys, she'd be dancing to a boy song or the boys would be dancing alongside her to You May Dream or Switch on My Heart.

"_Ugh…"_ She got shivers. Callings thought of the idea too.

"_D-Dance to You May Dream…? There's no way I'd be able to do that…" _Shou thought to himself as an imaginary bubble appeared on top of his head.

"_Dance to Switch On My Heart…? I-I wouldn't be able to step on stage anymore!" _Hibiki panicked when he tried to picture himself doing the intro of Switch On My Heart.

"_Mion dance to Itoshi no Tinkerbell? I ya I ya…" _Wataru couldn't get the thought out of his head as dark clouds hung over their heads.

"A re? Where's Ome?" Steve and Ome weren't there. But Aira, Rizumu, Kiri and Rie ran to them.

"What happened? We got a call from Ome saying that KIYUMI and MARs were each going to hold a Prism Show right now?"

"We've been had… Ome…"

"So who wants to go first?" Mii looked at Hibiki, Jiro and Sasahara coming toward them.

"Let's show KIYUMI's strengths first!" They went to the changing room as MARs smiled at them happily.

"So did it go well?" Ome and Steve came back with plenty of food in their hands. She handed cotton candy and igayaki to Rizumu who happily accepted it.

"Ome! Don't give me strange ideas! I got the chills!"

"Don't worry about the trivial matters! Let's have Callings perform a Prism Show to entertain MARs!" She handed Aira and Mion choco bananas.

"We've had a long break now haven't we Hibiki, Wataru? Too long I have to say!" The three boy idols nodded at each other.

"We're looking forward to your show again Callings!" Aira and Rizumu said with delight as they got Mion to say a part of it too.

"But before that, KIYUMI has to start the show!" The girls ran out to the ice rink. Mii turned to them.

"Aira, Rizumu, Mion, we'll show you an amazing show!" They blinked at the girls using their names.

**Let's dance together, go for it! Go for it!  
Do you wanna dance with me?**

**sora no iro to haru no kaori  
mazetemireba koi no yokan  
te wo nobaseba todoku kyori ni  
mirai sugu soba ni aru**

Mii skated to the center and performed Happiness Shower~The Joys of Life. Kiri and Rie came up behind her with Exciting Hurricane.

**Yuuki dashite MAMA no RU-JU**  
**tsuketemireba mune DOKI DOKI**  
**sukoshi senobi otona mitai**  
**PAPA ni naisho dakara ne!**

**ima ha mada hayai to iu kedo…**  
**gaman dekinai saa Let's, let's dance! ****Let's Dance!**

The trio performed their first group jump, Happiness Spin X3. The crowd of students and guests cheered for them. Aira and Rizumu ran to them with Mion following behind.

"That was just great!" Aira looked at Mii and smiled. Her happiness was contagious as all of them smiled.

"And now it's our turn." Callings came back in their regular costumes, making them look as bright and handsome as ever.

"Have fun out there!" Most of the girls waved to them.

"Jiro, just who are you looking at with that kind of face?" Adams waved to the girls as he glanced at the irritated expression on Jiro's face toward the girls.

"Seiji, wouldn't you feel irritated when a girl that always punches you acts totally different with another boy?"

"I guess. Are you annoyed because you're jealous?"

"Yeah probably." Adams looked shocked at his answer.

"Are you thinking right Jiro? Here I thought you liked Mion san and now…"

"I do like her."

"Then what's with you and jealousy toward Rie's behavior with Toudou senpai?"

"When did I say that?!"

"Just now." Sasahara just shook his head.

"Am I going crazy Seiji? Kazuya?"

"Yeah." The scene was interrupted by the audience's cheering for Callings.

"Minaa! Did you miss us?!" The audience cheered for the boys.

"Lets-" Wataru started.

"Enjoy-" Hibiki continued.

"Christmas Festival!" Shou yelled.

**Akogare no TINKAA BERU Negai kanaetai****  
Daisukina KIMI dakara Itsu made mo dakishimetai****  
Oh Yeah!**

**KIMI no koto wo ippai Hajikeru kotoba de tsutaetai Hontou no KIMOCHI wo**

"Suteki wa yo ne Shou san…" Mii looked at him with dreamy eyes.

"_Suteki… What do I think?" _Aira looked at a smiling Shou.

**KIMI to issho nara Futari dake no sekai e Tsure saritai yo****  
Please, Follow Me Tonight**

"Hibiki is always amazing during a Prism Show…" Rie smiled to herself.

"_Honto ni ne…" _

**Sukoshi dake Setsunai keredo Ima wo eien ni**

"Prince is just as dream-like!" Kiri squealed.

"_Wataru… Dream-like? Nai-Nai!" _**  
Kono omoi wo subete sasage yo Hold Me Tight**

Callings skated together. Hibiki performed a jump he called Sweet Whisper Through the Darkness. Wataru performed Dangerous Cute Face. Shou performed a perfected version of Boundless Hug.

**Itooshii TINKAA BERU Omoi tsutaetai****  
Taisetsu na KIMI no tame Sou Itsumade mo****  
Shiawase no TINKAA BERU Negai kanaetai****  
Daisuki na KIMI dakara Itsumade mo dakishimetai****  
Oh Yeah!**

When they finished and were ready to come backstage, MARs panicked. Their feelings weren't sorted out. Ome took notice.

"Hurry and run girls! We're playing an exciting game of tag!" MARs scrambled down the stairs and ran. KIYUMI ran after them while the boys ran after _them_. Callings didn't take notice until they saw them running away, toward the activities under the stage.

"What's going on?!" The crowd had no idea what they were talking about. Ome skated on stage.

"You better hurry and run after them! The DokiDoki game of Tag between Idols (and regular high schoolers) starts now!"

"Oi. Don't go naming it weird names!" Steve skated behind her too. Callings looked at the troubled expressions on all of their faces.

"Mou! So troublesome!" Shou jumped down first as Hibiki and Wataru followed him in jumping off the stage. The crowd got excited that Callings was cutting into the crowd to get through. Ome whistled because it only took them a minute to be out of their sight already.

"What do you want to do? Join in?" She looked at Steve.

"You planned this didn't you?" He pointed his thumb at the president and Jun coming backstage.

"Kochi Kochi!" They both came on stage.

"Ome? What's this about? Where's Callings?"

"That's just it! Apparently MARs, Callings, KIYUMI and the three boys you wanted to scout are running around the entire festival. So while you stay here and take care of this audience, we'll help look for them ok?" They jumped down and ran off.

"Ome! That's unfair!"

**~~~~~~~~Make tag more fun by expanding the playing field~~~~~~~~**


	16. Running Around

"Have you no shame?! This is tiring!" Wataru and Seiji were running together.

"Not really. Where are you exactly?" Ome and Mii were also running around together.

"Near the soccer fields. Where are _you_ guys?!" Ome handed Mii the phone and wrote a note down, for her to read.

" '3:00 from the Karumeyaki stand' Ome says."

"Quit the riddles! And there's over five Karumeyaki stands! Wait there!"

"Hurry and go find Mion while you still have time! And give Hibiki a call once you see Rizumu running toward you."

"What do I do?!" A flustered Rizumu passed by Wataru and Seiji 5 seconds after, leaving them in her dust.

"Anata ne…" Seiji said as he held the phone.

"Eh?! Did you just call me dear?!"

"Wait- You've got it wrong!"

"Ome he-!"

"Well aren't you daring Adams~ Now go give some people a call will you?" They hung up on him as Wataru used his cellphone to call Hibiki.

"Yo Hibiki. Ome told me to call you once I see Rizumu pass by. She's heading toward the tennis courts."

"Thanks I've got news for you too Wataru. I just saw Mion running with Rie toward the Technology Club's booth near the entrance of the school."

"Is Higuchi with you?"

"No he ran after them before I could stop him. I think Higuchi was aiming to catch Mion-" Those words made him snap. He hung up and looked at Adams.

"Sorry Adams kun. I have to find Mion before anyone does so for the time being please go find Mii Chan. That's who you're looking for aren't you?"

"What are you-" He ran off before Adams could get an answer out of him.

"_The person I was trying to find was Mii Chan? That can't be right! What about Aira Chan?" _Aira ran past him as he was looking down at the ground. He grabbed her shaky wrist.

"Seiji kun?"

"Aira Chan? Where are you going?"

"I-I'm just going anywhere I guess… I'm so stupid… For a second there, I wanted you to be Shou san… Even though I don't want to see like this…" He looked at her pained expression.

"What's wrong Aira Chan?"

"I don't know how I feel at all! I don't know what to do! What am I supposed to do when I see Mii Chan and Shou san together?! Why can I do nothing but run away?" She started tearing up. He tightened his grip on her wrist and pulled her into him.

"Why do you always cry for Miyamoto senpai? I don't understand Aira Chan… Why do you cry over him…?"

"He's always there for me no matter what… Always… Even when I avoid him, he finds out where I am and comes running… Whenever I'm in his arms, I feel warm and secure, like someone really cares about me... But when Shou san is with other girls, I feel that I can't get into the picture… It's not a problem with Shou san, the problem lies within me…" She stood up straight.

"Aira Chan…"

"I really am I dumb girl… Seiji kun has been so nice to me yet I…"

"Then does that mean that you like Miyamoto senpai?"

"Chigau! No! What I mean is that I feel like I need Shou san's warmth and kindness but not as his koibito or anything… I just want to be near Shou san I guess…" She ran off.

"In a way I feel relieved that she didn't say she liked him but I can't help but think that her way of thinking is going to hurt her and eventually turn into love…" He flipped open his cellphone.

"_How stupid am I going to get?" _

"Adams kun?" Shou answered his phone.

"If I told you that I knew where Aira Chan was heading what would you do?"

"Are you being cheeky again?"

"Just answer senpai."

"Well if you don't want to tell me, I'm not going to hold a grudge or anything. I planned to find Aira with my own strength anyway. She's always so considerate of other people you know? I really wish she would tell me that she needed me to be around her…"

"What would you do if she did say that?"

"Well nothing really. I would make sure that I could be the one to protect her from any danger whether she said it or not. Because she's someone that I can't leave alone no matter what. I can't really tell what she is to me but I know that I will protect her even if she gets someone she likes."

"What would you do if she got someone she liked?"

"The most important thing is Aira's happiness. If she likes him, then it's none of my business to get between them! Anyway, what's with all these questions?!" Adams looked up at the pretty blue sky.

"The left side of the building with the Cooking Club's booth. Hurry and go." He pressed the end call button before Shou answered.

"_What was I supposed to do when you said you were protecting Aira Chan's happiness? It's not like I don't agree with you… And with Aira Chan saying that… Why am I matching them up when I like Aira Chan…? Why…" _

"Adams san!" Mii ran over and gave him a choco banana.

"M-Mii Chan?"

"Ome told me that I'd find you here alone so I got us each a choco banana!" She held up her strawberry dipped sweet compared to his chocolate flavored dessert.

"I might've needed one after all that…" Mii looked at the bit of water on his face.

"I heard from Ome… That you may be sad about Aira and Shou san…" She flicked his forehead.

"Mii-"

"Good job Adams san! You've tried hard! And as a reward, let's go buy some food at the festival!"

"You just want to eat something don't you? Not to mention, that wasn't a reward whatsoever!"

"The reward comes after this~ And of course! You were here so I have someone here to accompany me!"

"I can't help but feel sad about that honesty…" Fake tears were running down his eyes. "Wait… You told me that Ome was the one that told you about me setting those two up?"

"Yes…?"

"H-How does she know that?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"He he he… I can't tell you guys that you know?" Ome was hiding behind the building. She took out her bright green cellphone and called Rie.

"Ome?"

"Yo Rie.~ From the sounds of it, it sounds like you're getting chased by Higuchi aren't you?"

"Yeah! To the ends of the Earth! And I lost Mion too! Mou! Wah! He's right behind me! Ome what do I do?!"

"Keep running with your eyes closed!"

"I'll do that!"

"Now run in a straight line!"

"Ok-Te! I can't put on this act anymore! I don't want to be caught by him of all people right now! Kii!"

"Why?"

"I can't face him when I like Hibiki and suddenly he… He just makes me feel weird!"

"Hm… Alright look at your 9:00 angle." She looked to the left and saw Ome near the building.

"Stop running already Rie! Why are you running away from me?!"

"Because I don't want to see you! Stop chasing me!" She ran in Ome's direction and was headed for the wall.

"Watch it Rie!"

"You get out of the way Jiro!"

"What are you saying?!" Ome pulled her away from the wall, saving her from hitting the wall but left Jiro to crash into the wall.

"D-Did you plan that?"

"Please, even I didn't think you'd run into a wall. But now that he's knocked out, you're saved from having to deal with him… For a little while…"

"Don't remind me! I'm going to run before he wakes up!" He grabbed her hand.

"Stop deciding everything on your own. Who said you can leave?"

"I said I can leave! And…" She looked at Ome expectantly.

"I didn't say anything. See ya Rie, Higuchi!" Instead of Rie running away, Ome ran off.

"Ome! How could you?!"

"What's so bad about talking with me?" He put his head in her lap.

"Why don't you answer that?! You're always doing strange things like this!"

"No I don't! Why don't you try to list some weird things I do? And I'm tired right now."

"I don't care if you are tired! Get off my lap! You're always making fun of me, calling me weird things and bothering me when I'm actually serious!"

"I wouldn't classify that as weird… Do you know why I do that?"

"What's with your change in tone…?"

"You want to know why?" He sat up.

"Do I really need to answer that?" She looked creeped out. Jiro sighed.

"So? Do you have plans with Toudou senpai after this?"

"No… Hibiki ran off to find Rizumu…"

"I should really sympathize with you but…"

"I don't need your pity Jiro!"

"And that's exactly why…" His stomach grumbled. "Ah~ I'm kind of hungry…" She dug into her pocket.

"This should make you feel a bit better." She held out 2 pieces of chocolate.

"You did always have candy with you…"

"Anything wrong with it?"

"Do I look like I'm complaining?" He took the chocolate from her hand.

"Then that's good!" She looked away.

"Hey Rie… I appreciate your 'good intentions' but next time just carry regular candy with you…"

"Huh? Why?" She looked at him eating the chocolate, not satisfied with the fact that it was half melted.

* * *

"Why am I stuck with _vous_ of all people?!" Kiri was really getting irritated of being alone with a boy that didn't want to answer her at all. Sasahara still stayed quiet. He grabbed her wrist.

"Are you even looking where you're going?" She looked forward to see a giant tree trunk in front of her. She felt a bit weird about how cold he acts yet his big hand was gripping her wrist at this point in time.

"If I didn't have to be alone with you, I would've watched where I was going! It's so hard being alone with you! Why won't you answer my questions at all?! I'm just trying to meet up with the rest of the group!" He still refused to say anything. Kiri really hated being ignored. "Why are you so difficult?!" His reaction showed that he had heard that same sentence before. And from the looks of it, someone really hurt him with that same sentence. Sasahara faced Kiri with a trembling look in his eyes. She took it as a glare.

"Don't act like you-!" He was going to yell at her but stopped when he realized that Kiri really didn't know or do anything wrong. She had a scared look on her face.

"_I-I'm sorry_…" She said in English unintentionally.

"No- I-" He didn't mean to scare her.

"Oi, Oi what are _you guys_ doing?" Ome walked out from behind the trees with Mion. They were linking arms and looked at them strangely.

"Ome!" Kiri ran over to them.

"What happened? You've never looked this shaken up Adams." Mion looked at her worringly.

"Takamine Mion… I think I made him mad…"

"I can already see what happened here… And Mion learn to call Kiri by her name. Same goes for you Kiri. Call Mion by her name."

"That has nothing to do with the situation right now!"

"Oh really? If you guys become a little friendlier, Kiri won't be so scared of Sasahara when he didn't mean to scare her."

"Mion…"

"K-Kiri…"

"Mion…"

"Kiri…"

"Mi-"

"Enough with the repeating! I meant learn, not repeat each other's name a hundred times! Now look here, Kiri. You don't have to worry about Sasahara. He's not a scary person, it's just that what you said might've struck him in the heart because he heard that same phrase before. He's not exactly mad with you. Look at the proof." He was frantically looking away. His amber eyes were swishing around.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say you were difficult!" Mion and Ome smiled at her sincere apology and figured, it was time to stop intervening.

"And now that that's settled, we're taking our leave ok Kiri?" Mion said to her.

"Eh? You're leaving already Ome, Mion?"

"Yeah. Take this chance to get to know Sasahara better! Ask him about his complex over that question~"

"But he won't tell me anything! And I feel that it's wrong to get into his personal business!"

"I might as well tell you because I didn't mean to yell at you." She looked at him surprised at his decision.

"And with that, have fun!~" They were turning to walk off before Ome turned around again. "I wasn't teasing you ok?"

"You obviously were!" The two left said together and the girls linked arms and ran off. Kiri turned to Sasahara when they were out of sight.

"Were you serious about that or just trying to get Ome out of here?"

"Can the answer be both?" For once there was a mutual grin between them.

"So did something happen with the question 'Why are you so difficult?'?"

"About a year ago I had this idol girl I really liked. She was a happy and popular girl. I never did fit in the class but you know how you can feel really happy when someone calls out to you? That's what got me. I confessed to her and she accepted while crying-"

"That girl was totally terrible to you wasn't she?!"

"W-Well yeah…" She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Fear not, I know just how amazing you are! Tell me anything you want from the festival! I'll treat you to something! I'm actually the daughter of a high-tech company! Don't worry! Money's not a problem!" He laughed like a normal boy his age. He covered his right eye as he calmed down.

"How did you come up with that?!" He was really laughing.

"Quit making fun of me! I'm trying my hardest to be of some help! Quel est le problème avec ça?"

"I didn't mean it that way. Thanks for the offer." He looked at her. From embarrassment, Kiri froze while blushing. After a few seconds, she took out her cellphone.

"Hey~ Any luck?" Ome answered.

"I just got smiled at! Que dois-je faire?"

"There goes your habit again~ Smile back at him. Make it look so sincere that the people around you would…" Kiri smiled at Sasahara and didn't listen to the last part of Ome's sentence. Some students stopped walking to stare at them.

"Nee don't they look like a pair? A match made in heaven!~"

"Yes~ A perfect couple staring before your eyes~" Ome echoed over the phone. Kiri hung up at once.

"Who was that Ome?" Mion asked her.

"Who knows?~ I just got hung up on."

"And you're happy?"

"In a way~ Now it's your turn Mion." She pushed Mion out of the shade they were walking in. Wataru noticed almost immediately and dashed toward the blonde haired idol he was looking for.

"Iya!"

"Oh no you don't! Mion!" As they raced away, Ome looked far into the distance to see Rizumu also being chased by Hibiki coming to her left.

"Muri Muri! Yada!" Rizumu yelled.

"Oi! Rizumu!" Aira came jogging behind them, not able to keep up with their speed.

"Yo Aira! Where's Shou?"

"Don't talk about him Ome Chan!"

"Why not?~ I set up this game specifically to have hot-headed boys catch you six girls…"

"That was your motive…" Aira just rubbed her head.

"So? Have you even passed by Shou yet?"

"No but I did talk to Seiji kun-"

"I know. Don't be mad that I passed by and heard your conversation."

"Ome Chan you didn't hear what I said about how I need-"

"Shou's warmth?! Of course I heard it! In fact I was holding back the urge to record that!" She was talking loudly, which was strange until Aira realized Ome's intentions. Shou was looking their way and just about to spot Aira.

"I have to run!"

"Cho matte! You're not getting away that easily! Quit running away and just tell Shou how you feel about his actions!" Ome pulled her back as Shou ran over.

"Aira! I finally found you!" He was panting.

"I can't talk to Shou san!"

"Why not?" The other two asked.

"I just can't!" Shou looked at her struggling to get away from him and sighed.

"Alright. I understand. Ome, let Aira go. If she doesn't want to talk to me, that's fine." She let go and turned to him.

"Stop being stupid Shou! You ran around trying to find Aira and now that you find her, you say she doesn't have to talk to you?! Why did you go around the school then?!"

"What am I supposed to do?! Aira doesn't want to talk so I can't force her!"

"It's not like that…" She mumbled but their argument overpowered her voice.

"Don't just change your mind because Aira is acting strange! If you really care for her, then get her to talk about what's making her act weird!"

"Who said I didn't care for her?! If she feels uncomfortable, I can't just force her to talk! You don't get it Ome!"

"You're the one that doesn't get anything-"

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Aira outbursted to stop the argument.

"What's not like that?!" Shou couldn't help but feel irritated.

"I couldn't face Shou san because I felt really weird and warm! It's not because I don't like Shou san!" As the gap between the two got smaller, Ome decided she didn't need to be there while they talked.

"Get it straightened out you two!" She waved as she walked away.

"Wait Ome-"

"Sorry for arguing with you Shou. Have a heart to heart talk with Aira in exchange for apologizing to me." She kept walking and not looking back.

"Is it hard being around me Aira?" Shou looked at her.

"N-No! Please don't think it's that! I didn't mean to make it sound that way!" He looked up at the sky.

"Is that so?"

"I know that it sounds like I say this all the time but Shou san! I really like you being around me! Ever since we've met I've thought of you as such an amazing person unlike me! That's why I'm always avoiding you! You're too amazing of a person to be around someone like me!"

"You can't keep putting yourself down like that. You _are_ amazing Aira. Whether you are Harune Aira or the Prism Queen. In fact, it seems that it's you that is more amazing Aira. It's okay for you to be your unique self when you're with me. I won't judge you. We've been together for over a year already."

"But Shou san is even more amazing! You can design such pretty designs, do the Prism Show and still can be nice to someone like me!" They looked opposite ways.

"You know, this is not getting us anywhere…"

"Hai…"

"Why were you running from me Aira?"

"B-Because I felt uneasy about being around Shou san when I'm not even as great as you… And Mii Chan…"

"_Why is she mentioning Mii now?"_

"Was that all?"

"I thought it was a pretty big thing!"

"Aira, stop putting yourself down already! I think your amazing just the way you are! Is that not enough?"

"But I couldn't…" The memory of not being able to stop the vandalising of the clothes popped into her mind.

"Aira?" He realized there was something else wrong.

"Nee Shou san, am I really weak?"

"In a way…"

"Then I really am not good enough to be near you… I couldn't stop the clothes from being ruined…"

"What do you mean?"

"N-Nevermind… I'll tell you eventually but not now ok Shou san?" Her pained expression encouraged him to change the subject fast.

"Alright then, I've decided."

"On what?"

"From now on, the phrase –someone like me is forbidden from coming out of your mouth Aira."

"But someone like-" She clamped her mouth shut.

"And now that you've said it, it's time for a penalty."

"No! Wait Shou san!"

"The penalty's going to worse if you keep talking Aira~" He teased her.

"Yada!"

"Now close your eyes obediently will you?" Aira did as she was told even though she was in a state of panic.

"Ah.. I don't want to be hit…" He looked at her eyelashes and smiled at how she took it seriously. Well the part about how the phrase –someone like me is forbidden was true but the penalty… Maybe? (**I'm improvising what Shou's thinking at this moment in time**)

"You're so naive Aira."

"Eh?! I-I'm sorry-"

"Smile." She opened her eyes to see the flash of Shou's cellphone. And when she reopened her eyes she turned red at what Shou was doing. "Saved." He closed his cellphone with a click and looked like nothing was wrong when several things were wrong with what he just did.

"W-Why did you take a picture of me Shou san?"

"I'm going to show the picture to the rest of them once we all reunite. It's a nice commemoration photo don't you think?"

"Omote nai! Hurry and delete the picture Shou san!"

"I refuse."

"Why?! Can't there be any other punishment?! Anything but show them a picture of me!"

"Of course if you can get the phone from me, that'd be a different story." He leisurely swung his phone from the strap. Aira charged for it.

"Mou! If only you were shorter Shou san!"

"If only~"

"What are you planning to do with the photo after you show everyone Shou san?" She said as she was jumping for his phone.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll send it to all their phones, and the first person _will_ be Ome."

"I ya! Shou san!"

"Joking-" She leaped toward him and almost tackled him down. It didn't happen that way since she was in his lap.

"Just a little more!" Aira was reaching for the cellphone as Shou was putting in even more effort to stretch it behind him.

"Oi! Aira! Stop!"

"Yada! I don't want you to show that picture to Ome Chan especially!"

"Fine! I won't show it to her! So stop tugging!"

"I don't believe you!"

"Was I always that untrustworthy?!"

"Hai!"

"Aira!"

"Shou san!" They were still fighting over the cellphone.

"Don't you see any problems with this scene Aira?!" He was indicating that Aira trying to reach above him and being so close to him was creating embarrassment on his part.

"Arimasen!"

"This scene is wrong in so many ways! Get off me Aira!"

"Then will you delete the picture Shou san?" She finally stopped moving and looked at him long and hard. They were both blushing but clearly it was Shou that was more affected by the small gap between them.

"I can't promise that…" He looked away.

"Jah!" She reached for his phone again.

"Matte Matte!" The strand of hair on the left side of Aira's hair brushed against his cheek. He was immobilized.

"_That was Aira's hair right? Why did it brush on my cheek? I ya I ya… That's beside the point…"_

"_Why is Shou san not saying anything…?" _She pulled her hair to behind her ear. With one side of her hair behind her ear, she gave off a mature aura. Shou finally unfroze and looked intently at the girl staring at him. He brushed stray hair to the side.

"Like a flower." He smiled at her before he knew what he was spewing.

"T-Thank you Shou san…"

"No need for thanks…" There was another long pause between them (annoying right? :D)

"Shou san… About the picture…"

"We're going back to that aren't we?!"

"You really are going to show everyone aren't you?! Mou!" She reached to grab it again, starting the argument all over again.

* * *

"You're going to fall down a hill if you keep running like that Rizumu!"

"Ookina osewa da! I want to be left alone!"

"And I'm saying that I'm not accepting that as an answer! Now quit running-!"

"No! Go find Rie, Hibiki!"

"Rizumu!"

"I hear Hibiki sama's voice!"

"Sometimes I really wish Hibiki wasn't so popular…" Rizumu mumbled to herself. Her right leg hit the top of the hill, making her lose her balance.

"Again with this?!" Hibiki reached to grab her and fell along with her. They rolled down the hill at a fast speed with Rizumu landing in Hibiki's arms when they finally stopped rolling.

"Hibiki?!" She shook him but he wouldn't wake up. When she felt his heartbeat, he was prefectly fine which made her pout.

"_Trying to fool me now aren't you Hibiki? Just try me!" _She pretended to faint from shock.

"_Are we becoming actors now?" _Hibiki didn't exactly know when he should stop putting on his act because Rizumu wasn't about to give in.

"Rizumu, if you don't hurry up and stop acting, I'll kiss you~"

"_I won't fall for that Hibiki!" _She kept a calm face with just a bit surprise when Hibiki put her in his lap and took her hand in his. Even if her eyes were closed, she could feel that Hibiki was a bit serious or just provoking her to stop the act because Hibiki was approaching her.

"_Rizumu really does have a small face…" _Whatever he was doing didn't seem to be bothering him until he realized just how strange he was acting from Rizumu's eyebrows and trembling lips.

"Baka!" She banged him in the head. He fell over and grabbed his head in pain.

"Itai! What'd you do that for Rizumu?!"

"That's my line! Why are you trying to kiss me when we're not like that?!" She was incredibly flustered. When she was about to get up to run again, Hibiki pulled her back.

"I'm sorry Rizumu!"

"Let go! You just wanted to make fun of me didn't you Hibiki?! I'm not that weak!" She was really angry with him. He leaned forward and put his head in between her left shoulder and head.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't making fun of you… I know this joke went too far… I'm really sorry Rizumu…" She felt hurt by the word "joke".

"So in the end it was all a joke?" She started crying.

"W-What's wrong Rizumu?"

"I don't know… I should be relieved that you were joking but I feel really sad right now… Hibiki…" She sobbed as she threw herself on his chest.

"_I really went too far this time…"_

"I'm sorry Rizumu… I won't do it again…"

"That's not it!" She didn't understand what she was saying either. He wiped a tear away from her face and thought of a different topic.

"Why were you running from me Rizumu?"

"Eh?"

"I want an honest answer Rizumu. I want to know what happened."

"You can't laugh no matter what…"

"I'll promise but I don't know if I'll be able to keep it." His usual smile gave her a sense of comfort.

"When I saw you out there, I thought that you were so far away and that I shouldn't get close to you because, even if we are Prism Stars, we're in two different worlds…" She remembered the slap to her face.

"Why do I have a feeling that it was more than just that?"

"I can't monopolize you and I know I can't so I just wanted to avoid you so no one misunderstands! And Rie still…" The word monopolize was what Hibiki really wanted to laugh about but he pushed back the urge and replied calmly.

"Why do you bring up Rie, Rizumu? I know that you are respecting her feelings for me but I didn't think you were the type to care for your reputation."

"I don't but I don't want to hurt Rie! She's actually a really good person! I don't want to hurt her a second time!"

"I doubt being next to me will cause that much damage Rizumu…"

"But-" He put his finger on her lips.

"You're not listening Rizumu… I want to be around you. Is that so wrong to society?" Somehow the way he phrased it made Rizumu jump to conclusions.

"But Rie will misunderstand…"

"Don't you want to still be around me Rizumu?"

"Of course I do! But I don't want to bring you down! That's the last thing I want to happen!"

"Then this problem is solved. I choose to be around you so if anything happens to my reputation (_which probably won't_), I'll be the one to blame. No more arguing Rizumu."

"Hibiki! Why are you so stubborn?!"

"Because you are Rizumu. Why aren't you happy that I want to be around you?"

"Because there's no reason for Hibiki to want me around when I cause so much trouble! Why don't you understand…" She slumped down.

"You won't be changing my mind Rizumu. So why don't you give up so we can go tour the school?" He grabbed her hand and they took off.

* * *

"Why do you keep following me?!" Mion gave up running and started walking. Wataru was behind her.

"Is it so wrong to ask why you're avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you! I want to be alone!"

"Now that's strange… What happened to the Mion that was a lonely idol that wanted friends like Aira and Rizumu?"

"If you're going to make fun of me, you might as well leave me alone." She said coldly.

"I wasn't making fun of you Mion. Don't be mad… I just wanted to know why you won't talk to me… Is that so wrong…?" He blocked her way and looked her in the eye with moist eyes.

"Cut it out already! You don't need to know!"

"Mion." He grabbed her hand.

"Let-"

"What's wrong? I told you that I would always be here to listen and I wasn't lying. Whether you like it or not, I will be here for you. You might as well tell me now."

"What's with you Wataru?! Why do you care so much?!" Her outburst made her tear up.

"Because I just do."

"I didn't know what I should do because I do acknowledge you as a friend but Kiri…"

"I don't think she has to be a part of this Mion…"

"I just don't want to hurt her so just leave me alone ok?"

"Yada." The angry vein popped on her head.

"Why are you so stubborn?!" She stomped her foot.

"Because you're telling me something I don't want to do~"

"But don't you care for Kiri?!"

"Yeah."

"Then why-"

"You make it sound like I don't care for you. Now let's drop this conversation because I'm bored. Let's go around the school together Mion."

"Why would I go with you?!" He smiled at her. "W-Why are you smiling?"

"Because you're pretty much back to normal. I like this kind of Mion the best." She blushed at the words "like" and "best".

"What's with 'this kind of Mion'? Why do you act like you know how I really am?"

"Well don't I?"

"You don't. Not one bit." She pouted.

"Really, not honest as usual… Do you know how I really am then Mion?"

"You make it sound like I want to know."

"Aren't you even a bit interested?"

"Zenzen kyomi nai. What are you getting at Wataru?"

"What if I was actually like this?" There was a huge smirk on his face as he approached (quite an understatement because he was too close to Mion) which made her pull back. She was speechless with confusion. Somehow her thoughts came out as,

"Are you making fun of me again?" He fell down from shock but got up and tried again.

"What would you do if I was sadistic like this?" He gave her a playboy face and grabbed her arm. She didn't look fazed at all.

"Sadistic ne?" From the looks of it, she wasn't impressed at all.

"What if I was pretending to be nice to everyone?" That might've struck a nerve.

"What do you mean?"

"What if I was not this nice and was just faking it the entire time?"

"Then you're an idiot. Why do you act like someone you aren't? Well either way, I don't really care if you were faking or not." She looked away tsundere style.

"Oh really? What if I had ulterior motives?" He tipped up her chin to which she was surprised at.

"Mion Chan?" Aira was walking and saw the two on top of the hill.

"What is Wataru doing?!" Shou's reaction made it seem like this happened a lot.

"Shou san? What's wrong? You look angry…"

"Oh sorry Aira. It's not that. It's just that Wataru has a tendancy to change personalities because he's type AB so I was just wondering if he changed to his dark side."

"Ah! Mion Chan!" They were standing behind the building behind them. Meanwhile Mion was trying to resist his weird behavior.

"I'm not going to forgive you if you do anything to me Wataru!"

"Hm?"

"A re? Mion?"

"W-Wataru…" Hibiki's reaction was basically a copy of Shou's.

"What's wrong Hibiki? They look happy to me."

"Rizumu, Wataru's a type AB. That's probably his other side."

"Is that a problem?" She munched on the cookies like it was nothing.

"Rizumu…" There was no point in trying.

"What's going on over there!?" Rizumu was blushing as they were hiding behind the building in front.

"Do you believe me now Mion?"

"No I don't! Now let go!"

"What do I need to do to make you believe that I am not who I was before?"

"You don't need to do anything because I won't believe you what-so-ever."

"This is bad…" Hibiki and Shou said together.

"Wait!" Aira said to Shou.

"But why?"

"Because I have a feeling that Mion Chan will be able to get Wataru san back to normal. They'll be ok Shou san… I believe in it." He couldn't exactly argue with her and gave in.

"You really don't give up do you?" Wataru was definitely not himself.

"I've had enough…"

"Huh?" She pushed him away.

"Are you stupid?!"

"M-Mion?"

"Damate yo! Stop with all the what ifs! Why are you asking such absurd questions?! I am talking to the one and only Hyuuga Wataru aren't I?! Quit making me think otherwise because I won't take some kind of excuse like how you were just pretending to be nice to everyone! Don't give me that stupidity!" It took a lot of effort to let all that go. Wataru stared in surprise.

"I wonder what kind of effect that will have on him…" Hibiki thought out loud.

"Then you won't change your mind no matter what I do?"

"No point in even asking! Now stop this nonsense Wataru!"

"Of course Mion." His usual smile was back.

"Y-You… Why'd you suddenly change back so fast…? Could you have planned this…?"

"Maybe~"

"I really do despise you Wataru!"

"Don't say that~ I wanted to see your reaction!"

"Hora ne? They're back to normal!" Aira smiled at Shou. He smiled back at her which got the mood going.

"That's unfair Aira." Mii blew in her ear.

"Kyah!" Everyone in that area heard the yell.

"Aira?!" Rizumu looked over to see her behind Mion and Wataru. Rie came up from behind her and touched her shoulder.

"Yah!" Rizumu's scream followed Aira's. Mion and Wataru looked around to see the group surrounding them.

"Mou! Aira! Rizumu! You were eavesdropping weren't you?!" They were already out of it.

"Just what were you talking about with Prince, Mion?" Kiri appeared behind Mion with a menacing aura around her.

"K-Kiri?! Nothing… Just talking! So don't worry!"

"Is that really all?"

"It's true!"

"Is that really all Mion Chan?" A mechanic hand was on her shoulder. She felt really scared. When she turned back, she couldn't make out whose face was shining above the flashlight. "Mion Chan~"

"I ya!" Mion fainted from the shock of seeing a ghost.

"Mion!" Kiri caught her.

"There's a g-ghost…" Her eyes were spinning with confusion and fear.

"Mou! Saori san! See what you made me do!" Ome flicked off the flashlight and turned to a woman with auburn hair approaching them. Her wavy hair gave off a sense of maturity.

"Gomen Gomen Ome Chan! But you can't deny that it was fun now can you?"

"Of course it was fun!-" Before she could finish her answer and high-five with Saori san, Steve intervened.

"No you don't. Who knows what will happen if you two do any more planning together."

"Eh? But it's fun!"

"Act your age would you?" Steve said to Ome.

"I yada." It was rejected right away.

"You guys sound like a married couple! How about it?" Saori's eyes lit up.

"Zettai yada."

"Principal? What are you doing here?" Adams asked in surprise.

"Oh I was skipping out on work and just met these two to plan out this nice plan! But to think Mion Chan fainted from just that…" She shook her head.

"Headmistress… Shouldn't you refrain from doing anything like this…?" Jiro asked her.

"I don't see why? Now Steve Chan, we're going to plan out the party so let's go. Ome Chan you'll just have to wait to see the surprise-"

"Why am I helping you?!"

"Well you're the perfect person since Ome Chan can't help me prepare since I want it to be a surprise for her!" He grabbed Ome by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"I'm going to kick you if you don't put me down."

"Help me out here! I don't want to help her plan if it was the last thing I had to do before I die!"

"Why do you put it that way?!"

"Put me down! I don't want to be a part of this!" She missed the kick she was trying to make to his stomach.

"Well as long as I have you, I won't be able to help her so I'll have to run with you!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" He started dashing off.

"Kora Steve Chan! Don't be rebellious! And don't take Ome Chan hostage!"

"I yada! Hurry and put me down!"

"Not happening as long as that woman is chasing us!"

"It's you she's coming after! Why am I dragged into this?!" The rest of the group could only act like they didn't see or hear anything.

**~~~~~~~~Avoidance leads to many strange events if it's from the guy –matte matte- any guy for that matter~~~~~~~~**


	17. What Happens Before A Christmas Ball

**Because of studying for exams, I've been on hiatus for a while! I'm sorry! I have four big exams this week but after this, I'LL BE more free! Expect more chapters soon!**

** ~RomanceAnimeLove28~**

"Since I went to the trouble to convince your parents to let you go, you better make the most out of this party!" Ome said to MARs as the girls walked to school with KIYUMI the next morning.

"Y-You didn't need to do anything Ome…" Mion said.

"Well if I didn't, you wouldn't be able to dance under the moonlight with your beloved Jun san on such a special day now would you Mion? And Aira, if I didn't get your dad to quit thinking you'd find a boyfriend by the end of tonight, you would be spending Christmas selling cakes... And Rizumu, I'm sure you would want to go for all the food now wouldn't you? I guarentee they'll be three feasts waiting for you." Rizumu and Mion couldn't say anything back but Aira, surprisingly had something to argue back.

"What do you mean Ome Chan? What'd so wrong about selling cakes on Christmas day?"

"It's too pitiful for a 15 year old girl to be spending a white Christmas helping her family sell cakes when they don't need much help over going to a big party… Not to mention… This is all what ifs so don't take this seriously but _what if _ when you are selling cakes, you accidentally touch hands with a boy customer that is your fan, he falls for you and your dad is going to make a scene to get him away from you? Now do any of you girls have anymore problems?"

"N-No…"

"And there we have it. Let's hurry up and get to school, do our shifts, have some free time and then prepare for the party!" Aira had nothing else to say after that. KIYUMI just walked silently because MARs had no more arguments against Ome.

"I-I wonder why we still have to wear our uniforms to school… Nee Ome?" Rie was trying to break the silence.

"Who knows?" She shrugged it off.

"Rare to see you not running your mouth." Steve appeared in front of the girls.

"Like you're one to talk. Are you boys thinking of ideas on how to impress these girls? Well not like Steve's going to be any use…" His blue eyes glared at her.

"I can impress a girl if I really try hard enough." He walked over to Mii. "Mii, you know that your green eyes draw in my gaze? Do you know what that means?" He put a hand on her chin.

"That you're trying to creep me out?"

"Chigau!" Everyone else cracked up.

"Well Steve Chan, let's get going shall we? We can't stand here and keep embarrassing you now can we?"

"My charms don't work on you females do they?"

"No. Not one bit." They all said in unison.

"Fine that Amy says it so bluntly but for you girls to say it too… I feel shocked…" Heartbroken Steve and the rest of the boys followed the girls into the school entrance to help out their individual classes.

* * *

"Eh?!"

" 'Eh?!' Janai! A party means wearing a beautiful dress! You are not wearing your uniform to such an occasion!" The principal was trying to persuade Mii, Rie and Rizumu to get changed into the designated dresses. The guys all walked in.

"Shou san! Tell Saori that I don't want to wear a dress!"

"Hibiki! Saori is threatening to make me try on 50 different dresses!"

"Mou! I don't want to Saori!" Rizumu was the only one out of the three that didn't run to a guy for help.

"Huh? Where's Ome and Aira?"

"They're running some errands for me. Anyway come on girls!"

"Ii ya!" They ran off into the dark hallway. For it only being 7:00, the school hallways were incredibly dark already.

"Hurry up and drag them back here boys!" They ran off in a rush too.

"Now Mion, we will decide which girl wears which dress. Alright?"

"Hai!" She said from behind the curtain. She felt a bit bad about hidng from Wataru but it already happened so she couldn't change the outcome. Meanwhile, Mii bumped heads with Ome.

"Oi! Watch the head!" Books fell from Ome's head as Kiri and Aira inquired at the two girls that crashed into each other.

"What are you doing with books on your head?"

"I'm teaching Aira how to be more balanced on ice. After all, the President is planning on making you girls learn how to actually do ice skating moves like the triple axel jump. Aira, here has no talent for ice skating whatsoever."

"Ome! Don't say that!"

"Embrace your weaknesses and overcome them Aira! I shall show you!" She acted as if she was going to enlighten Aira with a lesson on how to balance books on your head. Well Aira acted like she was interested so Mii and Kiri didn't say much. When Kiri saw a shadow she started to run off.

"Oi! Kiri! Don't leave us behind!" Mii chased after her which made Aira and Ome chased after her.

"It's messed up how you're saying that while you're leaving _us_ behind Mii!" Ome yelled as she pushed Aira ahead of her so Aira wouldn't fall behind.

"Hah?! I can't hear you! What is it Ome?!"

"You… You're not pretending not to hear are you?!"

"I wouldn't do that!"

"Then how are you able to hear that but not my first sentence?!" Ome ran into a wall and hit her nose. As she was sitting on the floor rubbing her nose, Mii and Kiri ran off in the other direction.

"Mii Chan?! Kiri Chan?! It's dangerous to keep running in this darkness so come back!" Aira called after them.

"We lost them?"

"Yes…" Ome flicked on a flashlight.

"You had one handy Ome Chan? You're prepared as ever."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now why does it seem to me that it's going to be even scarier now that I have this flashlight on and going to draw people in our direction?"

"Don't say such scary things Ome Chan!"

"Gomen… I guess I was being too honest… After all I have a big feeling that for once I'm going to be the one screaming…"

"Ome Chan!" The thought of Ome screaming was scaring Aira because Amy never screamed for anything, ever since MARs met her a year ago. For her to start now must mean that, that something must be pretty frightening.

"Gomen Gomen…" They walked out of the corner and around passed spooky looking classrooms.

"I wonder if Shou san and Seiji kun are trying to find us…"

"I'm sure they are Aira. Are you worried that Shou's going to be scared of the dark?"

"A bit… But he was still acting valiant for me… I was really happy…"

"Hm…" She smiled to herself.

"O-Ome Chan what is that over there?" Aira's hand was trembling as she pointed to the light outside the window.

"Maybe it's the Christmas tree? Even if you did see a shadow, I think it's really hard to discern it from the bright lights Aira." Something blew past them. Ome grabbed Aira's hand and ran toward the corner. As she turned off the flashlight, she put a finger to her lips.

"What are you going to do Ome Chan?"

"Don't worry. You'll be ok. Someone's out to scare us if I had to guess. But I'm not backing down from this challenge." She punched her other palm.

"It's dangerous Ome Chan!"

"Save that lecture for the guy you really want to say that to!

"Why are you so stubborn at a time like this Ome Chan?!"

"Because I'm weird! Now let go of me and stay here!"

"I won't! I'm going with you no matter what!"

"Hah… Then don't let go of my arm…" She gave her a pack of hard candies with liquid inside them. Her small smile told Aira that it was there to make Aira feel just a bit better. As they walked out there was liquid under their shoes.

"W-What's this on the floor?" Aira leaned down to check as Ome turned on the flashlight. Amy let out a sigh.

"It's just water huh?"

"But why is there water here? You don't suppose a faucet leaked nee Ome-" Amy was leisurely examining the faucet of the science classroom.

"Looks like someone smashed it. That's not going to sit well with Saori."

"Who did it?! A student?! Teacher?! Maybe a thief came in or something?!"

"Calm down. Either way we're going to meet the guys that did this, soon."

"T-There's more than one person?" Ome covered her mouth because she wasn't supposed to make Aira feel scared.

"Don't worry! If they come out and attack I'll protect you!"

"T-That sounds like what a boy says Ome Chan…" They walked out. Something touched Aira's shoulder.

"I can't find my way… Will you help someone like me?" She turned around to see an old woman with a cane staring at her.

"What's wrong Oba Chan? Do you need me to carry you? I'd be glad to-"

"Jotto! Aira! We're running! She's not what you think she is!" They turned around to run but the Oba Chan grabbed Aira.

"What a bad child not to want to help carry me aren't you?" When she raised her head, Aira froze. A monster was staring back at her with red eyes. When Ome glanced over, she had the look on her face when she looked at something strange. She chopped the thing's hand off Aira's shoulder, grabbed her hand and ran.

"There's a limit to this prank Kanagawa Mariko!"

"That's senpai to you! Matte! Get back here!"

"And here I thought you'd be perfectly fine with Aira calling you Oba Chan 5 times!"

"You're an irritating one you know Zhang Amy?!"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say Aira was the biggest threat to your ego and beauty that only you acknowledge!"

"Kii! Now you've said it! Get back here!"

"I ya yo! Oh and watch out for the wall!~" There was a loud crash that followed right after.

"O-Ome Chan, we shouldn't make them angry…"

"It won't hurt to have a little fun~" They hid in a classroom. "Either way, your knights are really slow… It doesn't take them this long to eventually pass by this noisy floor… Or is that actually true?" Ome was stressing herself out thinking of the answer.

"K-Knights?!"

"It's obviously Shou and Adams. Unless you had someone else in mind?"

* * *

"That girl… She's definitely dragging your princess around…" Steve said as he was searching for the girls with Shou and Seiji.

"Princess?"

"Harune Aira. Who else?"

"Quit joking! They're probably all together!"

"No. I'm 99% sure the girls got split in two."

"I'm surprised you didn't add the .99 part at the end Steve." Seiji was picking at the wrong details.

"I try to be unique." He smiled at him.

"No one cares about that at a time like this! If you have time to be talking nonsense, you have time to search for the girls!"

"Eh?~ Aren't you going to ask me how I figured out that Aira Chan and Amy are together _Shou senpai_?" The last part made Shou shiver.

"Your impurity is scaring me _kouhai kun_..."

"What's so wrong about calling you senpai?~" They heard loud footsteps closing in on them.

"Ow!" They heard Wataru call from down the hallway. A shadow was coming after them and running right into Seiji.

"Why is it me?!" The figure ran right into him and must've been really strong because Seiji went "smack!" into the wall.

"O-Only two girls can do that besides Amy… And from that brown hair…" Steve said as he inched away.

"Mii! What happened?!" Shou kneeled down. Her green eyes were shining in the moonlight.

"Something's chasing Kiri and me! Aira and Ome are in danger! Hurry and find them Shou san! Ah! Where's Kiri?!"

"She's right here." Sasahara and Hibiki came over with a scared Kiri.

"Where's Rie and Rizumu?!"

"The Headmistress said she already caught them." Higuchi came over with his cellphone out.

"Hey shouldn't someone figure out what to do with Wataru and Seiji that got tackled?" Steve stared at a knocked out Seiji.

"Where's Wataru-" Shou started before roses filled the air. The boys glanced around the background in disbelief.

"Onii-sama! Are you ok?!"

"As long as you're fine, I'll be too, Kiri."

"Onii-sama!" She hugged his shoulder.

"I-Is she putting on a play?" Steve asked.

"That's rude Steve! It's obviously pure love between siblings!" Hibiki said as he felt heart-warmed by the scene.

"Well if you can explain why they look like they're practicing a dialogue of forbidden love between siblings, I won't look so disturbed." Shou was going to say something but it got interrupted by a loud scream.

"Gyaa!" The voice echoed.

"Who had a soft voice like that?" Sasahara asked.

"You're supposed to ask, 'Who was that?!' Kazuya!" Higuchi yelled.

"I don't have time to chat with you senpais! See ya!" Steve ran off.

"_It could've been Aira…"_Shou also ran in the same direction.

"Miyamoto senpai definitely thinks it's Aira Chan…" Seiji said with a sigh.

"But did Aira's scream sound like that? Usually you'd hear Gyafun or Kyah! from her…" Kiri thought aloud.

"But then the only person is… She screamed?! Uso…" Everyone left had a scared expression on their faces as if the world is 10 seconds away from blowing up.

"Then the world is doomed…" Wataru leaned on the wall as he walked toward them.

"_W-What do you mean_? Prince?" Kiri ran to him as if he was really dying.

"He said the world not himself Kiri… Well both are pretty bad…" Hibiki said.

"Oi, Oi _she_ was the one that ran into _him_…" Jiro said with a sweat drop on the back of his head.

Shou and Steve were turning the corner and saw Ome sitting on the floor, facing someone with surprised eyes. Steve ran and grabbed Ome by the shoulder. The look on her face didn't change. He looked at the person she saw.

"Now that is kind of creepy…" One member of the student council had the face of a victim to a murder with some kind of red liquid that was used to give the impression of blood.

"That's probably a mixture of a lot of edible things…" Shou said as he looked around for Aira. Ome turned to him and pointed to the classroom. He opened it to see an unfazed Aira waiting for someone to open the door.

"Who screamed? Was it Ome Chan?"

"Let's go Aira. We should get to the Headmistress to tell her about what happened."

"Ome Chan told me that the Headmistress knew about all of this."

"Then we're going to complain to her." He pulled her wrist and walked away, leaving Ome and Steve alone because the student council secretary got scared off by Steve trying to imitate her expression.

"_Wait… Is it a good idea to leave those two alone together?" _Shou thought after he and Aira were already on the stairs.

"Oi Amy…" He kneeled down and looked at her face.

"Everywhere…" She pointed to the classroom to the right. He opened it. Steve's eyes widened.

"Way too much red… I can't tell if this is paint or not…" The walls were painted all red. Some desks had the red substance on them too making the classroom look like a massacre happened in there. He kneeled down again to a shaken Ome.

"Blood…"

"I can't tell if you are frustrated or just scared of what you saw… You know…" She glomped Steve.

"Why am I scared of something like this?! Doushite?!" She said in a loud voice. He was surprised but hugged her back.

"It's ok you know? To have a weakness…" He was going to say something that would make her look at him weirdly so he kept his mouth shut.

"But I really wish there was nothing that would scare me…"

"No one is that perfect and you know it."

"Kuyashi…" She looked up at him with drooping eyes.

"Oi… What's with that face?"

"It's not fair that I can't take looking at a scene like a horror movie!"

"Oi, did this become a game?"

"But I don't want this kind of weakness!"

"It's not something you can change!"

"I hate horror scenes…" She pouted.

"Well at least you're being an obedient little girl and admitting to your weakness."

"Who's an obedient little girl!?" She was trembling.

"Hai Hai. I won't say it again." He stroked her let down black hair as he hugged her tightly. Mion appeared from behind the shadows.

"To think Ome was scared of gory horror scenes…"

"Mion, I don't think you should be talking about Ome when you're a superstar that's scared of ghosts. More like you probably couldn't take it either." Rizumu also stepped out of the darkness.

"Ghosts aren't real!" Mion hissed to her.

"Then why are you afraid of them?" Rizumu laughed.

"Why'd you bring me too?" Rie came after Rizumu.

"Ome had a real love story of her own now didn't she?" Rizumu grinned.

"Such a daring thing to do…" Rie followed while blushing.

"You don't think she's pretending do you?"

"Ya ne Mion. You're so picky at times like this!" Rizumu said.

"Is that bad?" She pouted.

"Not when it comes to hardcore Ome." Rie and Rizumu grabbed her arms and walked the other way.

"Why are you grinning?" Ome eyed him suspiciously. His grin widened because she took notice.

"I know I'm not Wiz, Kero _or_ Bonta." Color appeared on her cheeks.

"Don't let it get to your head."

"We'll just see about that~ Now take a nap Amy. There's still an hour left before the party."

"But if I take a nap that means that you'll be carrying me, Saori is going to take pictures and everyone's going to come after me because they saw it."

"Who cares? I'm going to be there with you anyway."

"Is that right? So carefree baka…" She was still glomped onto him when she drifted asleep. He carried her up as if he was used to this. He poked her cheek.

"I'll let you off the hook this time." He smiled as he carried her down the hallway.

* * *

"Ma~ Steve Chan, have you finally come around?" Saori said the second he opened the door.

"Yeah right. I've already known my feelings for a while. Besides you know, these past 10 years I've doing this a lot right?"

"It doesn't hurt to believe does it?"

"It does when it comes to this girl."

"U-Um… Steve kun why is Ome Chan…" She was staring at him holding her. **Note**: Ome was in her casual clothes this entire time.

"What is Ome supposed to be? A panda? Perhaps a bear?" Kiri and Rie thought together.

"Actually, a few years ago we've established that when she sleeps like this, she's imitating a koala."

"Then you've done this before?" Mion asked slightly blushing.

"Well I kind of had to sometime these past 10 years… What's wrong with Jiro and Seiji?"

"Adams is trying to cheer up a depressed Higuchi." Hibiki answered.

"Why's he depressed?"

"Apparently mommy was hiding something from daddy.~" Wataru said playfully.

"M-Mommy…? Who made up this gag?" Mion and Kiri looked at Wataru. He brushed it off by whistling. Aira, Mii and Shou looked at Rizumu. She did the same. Hibiki, Rie and Seiji looked at Jiro. Kazuya and Saori looked at the resting Ome. Steve pulled on Ome's cheek.

"Ow! It seems you found out about the joke…" She stuck her tongue out playfully.

"You…"

"This can be saved for later children! You all must get ready now! Right now! I mean _now_!" The Headmistress yelled. Ome hopped down from Steve's arms.

"Well then, males, you'll just have to wait patiently like good little boys for what these girls will look like at the party~ Good luck knocking yourselves out figuring out their appearances!"

"Stop making fun of us!" All the boys except Steve (he didn't really care at this point) turned pink.

"Heh… They're embarrassed~ Isn't that good for you girls?" She turned to see the girls matching with the boys as most of the girls were shaking with nervousness.

"Leave it to Amy to be able to make annoyance become embarrassment."

"Ya ne. I'd appreciate it if you said humor not embarrassment! After all it's hard not to laugh when these high schoolers go pink from just a statement…

"You're definitely insulting us aren't you?!" Sasahara said.

"Of course I am. But hey, this pure atmosphere _is_ nice isn't it?"

"Yoku nai!"

"Is that so?" She shrugged as the Headmistress literally kicked all the guys out of the room. But somehow a Mion that was coming out with the dresses got into the group. Wataru stopped her from falling from behind and held her shoulders.

"Are you ok?"

"Un…" She blushed at how everyone was looking.

"Mion Chan, that dress suits you!" Aira looked at Mion accidentally holding up her ruffled lilac antique dress on herself.

"Don't they look like a princess and her knight?" Saori commented to Kiri's horror. Wataru stroked his cheek with his index finger like an embarrassed high schooler he was. Mion gritted her teeth as she turned fever red because while she didn't want to say anything hurtful, she didn't want to make herself look like a fool either.

"Then won't Rizumu look great in this too?" Ome held the sky blue bubble hem dress that went up to the model's knees, on Rizumu. Sasahara and Hibiki blushed. Seeing two boys suddenly go red made Rizumu feel embarrassed.

"Mou! Ome! That's enough-"

"This would look great on Mii!" She held up the green chiffon and spaghetti strapped dress on her.

"It'll definitely look great on you Mii Chan." Seiji had a slight tone of blush on his face.

"No more stalling. You girls will get into your respective dresses in the next 30 minutes."

"Saori, you sound like the girls won't be wearing party dresses until the middle of the party."

"Sono touri! And, Ome Chan, you're supposed to say 'we' because you're included in this surprise Steve Chan and I have planned. Of course therhe's another surprise that even he doesn't know…"

"I'm going to say sorry in advance. But really Saori you didn't give Steve much of a choice did you? And what?"

"I love your honesty Ome Chan. Now, help me make up all six girls here."

"Can I disappear for a while?" Saori dragged her back in.

"Huh? Aren't these costumes for the Prism Show…?" Aira said holding up her dress.

"You idols will be doing more than just the Prism Show…"

**Ome: You guys know what's coming right?**

**Boys: Huh?**

**Girls: Never Ending Bonds' Interview Time!**

**Ome: That's exactly right! I have set up this panel just for this! Now one of you pick up that bat and hit the baseball into one of the panels!**

**Higuchi: Didn't this cost a lot of money…?**

**Ome: Not really. It's called using people to rent the place!**

**Steve: Oi! We're going to destroy the place by the time the rent time is up!**

**Ome: Fine by me. I have insurance. *holds up a golden card***

**Shou: That's just the Headmistress's number! *saying in the "someone save us from this madness" tone of voice**

**Ome: Look closely.**

**Steve: Oi! That's my number under that! How am I supposed to help this situation?! *the sound of a bat and ball hitting each other***

**Hibiki: Rizumu! Why did you actually pick up the bat?! *everyone turns their heads to see all the panels crashing down from the impact***

**Rizumu: G-Gomen…**

**Owners: Kora! What is this?!**

**Ome: A resurrected dinosaur came in here stomping on the pretty panels before anything. We all were lucky to have come out alive. If you still don't believe me, watch Jurassic Park in 3D. Goodbye. *owners turn to Hibiki after Ome runs***

**Hibiki: A world famous scientific lab just ressurected a tyrannosaurus rex that came stomping for food in this hall. That's why you can see that messed up baseball in the mess. If you don't believe me, watch the news tonight. Goodbye. *runs away in the same manner which makes the owners look at Jiro***

**Jiro: The dinosaur wasn't as big as we thought it would be that's why the stained glass on the top is not damaged. If you don't believe me listen to the radio tonight! Goodbye!*everyone bows and runs***

**~An hour later~**

**Saori: Hah? Watch the news for dinosaurs tonight? Steve Chan what's this all about? *on the phone with the owners***

**Steve: A dinosaur ran into the building we rented to use as an interview hall. If you don't believe me watch the live broadcast tonight. Goodbye! *runs out the door***

**Saori: Oh! Dear! Steve Chan left us for dinosaurs! *peers outside to see her son and Ome***

**Saori's Unknown Husband: Huh? It just looks like our idiot son is eloping with Ome Chan.**

**Ome: Who's eloping with this idiot?! *everyone joins up with them***

**Saori: Why are my students eloping in such a large number?**

**Students: We're not eloping! Goodbye!**

**Saori's Unknown Husband: They're coming back aren't they? *doesn't believe it***

**Saori: Without a doubt.**

**~~~~~~~~Don't rebel. Just go along with it and find a corner to escape! It's the perfect plan~~~~~~~~**


	18. The Potion That Invites Screams

"Hah?" The second Saori finished her ridiculousy short speech, music came on the ice rink stage.

**Anata wa Yuujou? Youjou? **

**Watashi wa Aijou? ****Aijou? **

**Futari wa Joujou? Joujou? **

**Mirai no Futari O Shiritai yo ... ****Youjou? Aijou?**

MARs all skated in a circle and winked.

**Kidzukeba koi no Hajimaridatta Itsumo Anata O Miteta**

Aira jumped Fresh Fruit Basket.

**Me ga AU tabi DOKIDOKI Shiteru Nani mo TE NI Tsukanai yo**

Mion and Rizumu came from behind and performed Heart Arc Fantasy as a duet.

**Anata wa Youjou? Youjou? Aijou? Aijou? Futari wa joujou? joujou?**

MARs finished with Hip Hop Win.

"Did everyone enjoy the song?" Aira sked. Most people cheered.

"Please support our new song, Koisuru Otome no Catharsis!" Mion smiled.

"The next song will be from KIYUMI! Enjoy everyone!" Rizumu talked into her mic. They skated off the rink.

"MARs was really cute weren't they Ome Chan?" Saori was leisurely sipping juice from one of the cups of the buffet style feast table.

"Sure but that's not the issue here. Saori why am I in a performing dress? I thought we established that I was tone-deaf." She stared down at her sleeveless blue checkered dress.

"No more like I had to say it so you wouldn't yell my ears off. Ah." She pointed to the stage. Ome looked.

"Why must they be wearing wigs?" She was staring at KIYUMI with lolita dresses.

"It fit the look more."

"That's definitely going to be told. Ah." Ome was pointing at an angry Rie. Saori looked this time.

**Donna michi datte****  
Massugu janai darou****  
Sou magarikunette**

"You expect me to do this?!" Rie threw her gray colored wig on the floor.

"Acha…" Kiri took off her red wig and Mii took off her blue wig.

"Why should we have to sing AKB48's song?!"

"This isn't karaoke! Oi!"

"Well their ranting does have a point… Not to mention their voices just don't match a song like Sugar Rush. It'd be depressing for them to try to imitate Horie Yui if I had to be honest."

"Kora Ome Chan be careful with your words. They may be hearing this."

"They won't mind. After all Kiri told me she likes Mizuki Nana, Rie likes Perfume and for some reason Mii likes imitating EXILE." Saori shook her head as she headed for the stage.

"Looks like there's been a problem… Well anyway now this ball for the next two hours is going to turn into a karaoke party! Enjoy singing at the top of your lungs! Oh and only the people that can get their hands on these mics can sing at a time so knock yourselves out!" The boys came in from the entrance and all ducked.

"Is this a food fight?!" Higuchi exclaimed.

"Such strange children… This is all Tsui-Ling's doing isn't it?" Asechi Shachou stood above them with Jun by her side. Her prom gown looked like the dresses she went in for a marriage interview that was fated to fail.

"Yo! Having fun?" Ome waved at them.

"How could we be having fun dodging food at the doorway?! Oi Tsui-Ling! What kind of welcome is this?!"

"My kind of welcoming Kyoko! Watch it!" A pie hit her right in the face.

"Headmistress! Ah Asechi Shachou! What happened here?!" MARs and KIYUMI came running down the stage.

"As you can see, a lemon pie hit your Shachou right in the face. Let's leave the ranting once she wakes up to Saori and have fun!"

"But I don't want to get these pretty clothes dirty from a food fight..." Aira tugged at her pink bubble hem dress with little peonies sewed into the waistline. There was a small pink hat that went along with it on her head. Ome pulled out one of the microphones.

"OI! Who's going to be singing with a food fight happening here?! Quit wasting food and someone actually sing!" The noise lowered as the stage lit up for some female students singing. New carts of food replaced the food fight mess.

"Sugoi..."

"And that's how you do it. Now you guys should be fine with no food fight or any dirty clothes." Rizumu ran down to the feast and started piling up her plate.

"T-This has become one big party hasn't it Ome Chan?" Aira asked not sure what she should do.

"Not really. It's just a big Otaku party right now." She looked down at Rizumu and Rie getting lost in the crowd. The second she turned her head, Kazuya, Hibiki and Jiro sprung into action. Of course because of the crowd confusion, both parties grabbed the wrong girl.

"H-Hey Higuchi... Thanks for saving me and all but don't you think you could let go of my hand as if I was Rie? She's over there with Hibiki and Kazuya."

"Um... Why is there two of you coming for Rizumu? I know that she needed some saving but for there to be two of you... Sorry I wasn't Rizumu, Hibiki, Sasahara." Rie was wondering to herself what she meant. She should've been happy with Hibiki grabbing her over Rizumu but the look on Hibiki's face made it look like an accident.

"You men are so honest with those expressions... Just switch instead of standing there spacing out." Saori and Ome pulled the girls in the opposite directions which put Rizumu next to Kazuya and Hibiki and Rie in the arms of Jiro.

"Oi! Why does this happen so often?!" Rie pulled away from Jiro.

"Where'd you come from Headmistress?!"

"Enough about that. I have an announcement to make!" She ran up to stage.

"Oi... Those things on the table are potions aren't they?" Ome glared at the table full of colorful liquids.

"I have a present for all the boys here today. Each one of you guys taste the drinks over there! Girls, you will get special flowers as pins. Aren't they beautiful?" She was pointing to different flower pins such as the lilies and sakuras.

"Wait!" Ome shouted to stop the boys from drinking the liquid.

"Yes wait! The girls haven't gotten their pins on yet. Come on MARs and KIYUMI! We picked out special ones for every girl! You're first!"

"Who's we?"

"Steve Chan and me."

"Oi! Steve! You're definitely the one that chose that red snapdragon weren't you?!" He looked the other way. The flower she was referring to was sticking out like a sore thumb on the table.

"Ome Chan… I need to mention one more thing. That mic you're holding… If you don't sing within 5 minutes of holding in, it automatically becomes a robotic bug that comes chasing after you. Even I didn't make that…"

"Don't buy such things Saori!" She was running away and dodging the spiky robot coming after her like a cockroach.

"Wait Ome Chan! I need to give you this snapdragon! It's perfect to show your daring yet pure personality!"

"Don't lie! It really means being presumptuous! Kii! Get away!"

"Yo! Ome! Havin fun?"

"Yo Serena. Still wearing dresses with shorts under?" Lightning clashed between them.

"Kimui wa! What is this thing?!"

"Don't bring that thing over here Serena Chan!"

"Oi Kanon! Stop shooeing the thing on me!"

"But it's so creepy! Yah! Kimui ya!" Kanon yelled.

"Kanon? What's wrong?" Her older brother came out.

"Hibi kun! This thing is so creepy!"

"Hai Hai." The robotic insect stopped as Saori stepped out.

"Do that sooner Saori…" Ome and Serena both sank.

"Now that all the distractions are gone, all you girls will be getting those flower pins. Higuchi don't try to sneak a sip of that. Not until the girls get the pins."

"Eh?! Why?!"

"I can't get out of wearing that snapdragon can I?" Ome looked gloomy.

"Aira, you get the sakura flower to show gentleness and a beautiful heart. Rizumu, you get a daisy to show innocence and a bright personality. Mion you get the lily to show unmatched beauty. I haven't forgotten the rest of you girls. Mii, you get the African Daisy to show a bright personality. Rie you get the yellow carnation to show sensitivity and devotion. Kiri gets a blue rose to show dreams coming true and good luck. Serena gets the sunflower to show brilliance and looking toward the future. Kanon gets the calla to show a graceful personality. And Ome gets the red-"

"I know already. I'll wear it! I just have to wear it right?" She put the pin on her dress.

"Now have a sip all you fine beasts-no-men!" Saori pointed toward all the boys.

"B-Beasts…?" All the girls stared at her.

"Wait! Don't drink it! I know what that thing is! It's the Manly Potion Saori developed! Wait! Don't!" Ome was panicking which made the girls around her panick too.

"Hey this doesn't look normal…" Steve looked down at his body.

"Look girls! These men are so excited to try the potion, their bodies are emitting rainbows! Wait! This isn't the time to be joking around! They had to go to drink it… Girls take off these pins! Fast!" The pins wouldn't come off which was something Ome expected.

"And let the games begin ladies and gentlemen! This potion has made all the males in this hall turn into beasts that will go after the scent of the specified flower from the potion they drank! That of course means that the boy will also go after the girl that has the flower pinned onto her dress! These boys will bite so be careful! Good Luck to all the targeted females!"

"Wah! Every guy has little fangs-" Mii and Rie looked creeped out.

"Shou sama! You're still so handsome…" Fangirls surrounded him.

"Hibiki sama! We still love you!" He got surrounded too.

"Wataru sama! Please bite me!" Girls marveled at his looks even with an unusual pair of fangs on his teeth. Each one got out of their own respective crowds and looked for their target. Shou neared Aira and Mii. Of course Hibiki was coming toward Rizumu and Rie. And Wataru was coming for Kiri and Mion. Their different eye colors glowed.

"Ok let's test which one is really their target! Run in opposite directions MARs, KIYUMI!" They did as Saori said while Ome just stood there twitching her eyebrow.

"Callings is after MARs! Hurry and run!" And on cue, Shou started chasing Aira who almost fell over a tall table trying to run away.

"Yah! Someone save me!" Rizumu dodged Hibiki's attempt to push her on the wall which only aggravated him more.

"Hibiki! When did you become like this?!"

"After he drank my potion of course!" Saori looked happy at her creation.

"Don't you dare come after me Wataru! You're 100 years too early for that-" He tried to pounce on her to which she dodged. His roar sounded like a werewolf, like all the other boys' howls. He accidentally landed on Kiri. Mion watched as he stared her down.

"_The one I like is Jun san!"_

"Oi Mion stop daydreaming! Watch it!" Ome called when Wataru focused on his real target after scaring Kiri.

"I don't like werewolves! Someone help! Jun san!" The last part made him run faster.

"KIYUMI! Run!" Seiji, Jiro and Kazuya were all ready to get their target too. Jiro jumped on the table and howled.

"Too bad the potion didn't turn his entire body into a werewolf. He's totally acting like one... While he's busy with that, run Rie! That goes for Kiri and Mii too!" Seiji and Kazuya being surrounded by girls ran after Mii and Kiri that were already out the door.

"Stupid werewolf! Why'd you go and drink the potion?!" She ran out in a very ungraceful way.

"Is there anyway to conceal the scent of the flower Saori?"

"Nope. No matter what you pour on the flower, it either attracts new werewolves or makes the scent stronger. So for the next 2 hours, have fun running away from him." She pointed to a ready to attack Steve.

"I know I'm not supposed to hit him today but this is not a good situation for me..." He pushed her onto the wall to which all the rest of the girls reacted to.

"Lin kun! Kyah!" He was popular too.

"I want that to happen to me too! Zhang Chan that's unfair!"

"_This_ is unfair?! Switch places with me then!" The crowd of girls went after Steve as she ducked into the mob to get away.

"Nice plan Ome Chan. But that won't work the second time..."

"Um... What happens to us...?" Sere-non asked her.

"You girls are the lucky ones that aren't targets!"

"Can we go spy then?"

"Sure. Who do you have in mind?"

"Mion. What is that top model going to do with another idol chasing after her? Then again I should go after Ome to see what happens to her! No! Mion first!" Her rivalry with Mion was still as hot as ever.

"Serena Chan, I'm going to be the one to spy on my son and Ome Chan!" Serena looked afraid of the aura coming out of Saori to defend her right to spy on Ome and Steve.

"Rizumu... Don't you dare do anything to my Hibi kun..."

"Isn't he the one chasing her though...?"

"Why'd you make such a potion Saori san?! Why couldn't Hibi kun's target be me?!"

"Oi Oi, don't ask for too much now. Even if I'm the Headmistress, I will not be excused from setting up incest between my students."

"T-That means we're going to be going to this school?"

"Of course. I already created your schedule. Serena Chan is in Ome's class with Rizumu, Kiri and Sasahara kun. Kanon Chan is in the same class as Mion with Rie and Jiro kun.

"Bring it on Ome!" Serena was ready to fight when the actual person was missing in action.

"Ah! Mion Chan and Wataru kun!" Saori pointed to trees of the forest.

"Mion! Battle me!"

"Kora! You're spying not fighting! And didn't you just want to fight Ome Chan?! Make up your mind! Ah! Hibiki kun!" She pointed to the boy with glowing hazel eyes that really resembled Hibiki's.

"Hibi kun! Wait for me!"

"Don't start fighting now! Spying is the keyword here!"

* * *

"Why is there a rock here?!" Mion sat on the floor after she tripped on a rock carved into the cement.

"What's with this party?! Why is this happening to me?!" Wataru caught her from behind and pushed her down.

"Found you!"

"You can still talk normally?!" Mion's mouth was opening as fast as it was closing.

"The potion wasn't that strong from the beginning. I got control of most of my body."

"Then quit playing around and get off of me..."

"Only thing is, I can't control the urge to find the scent of the lily flower. And apparently Saori said that if I kissed the girl with the flower, it would break the potion's effect."

"That sounds like a lie! When did you have time to talk to Saori before you rampaged out the door?"

"Look I want this to end as much as you do, so I'll just have to try! I hate doing something like this!" Mion felt a bit hurt at the remark.

"And once this is all over, you're going back to Kiri right?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You're always...!" She looked away as she pouted.

"Could you be feeling jealous that I've been hanging around Kiri so much?"

"This isn't a joke Wataru! I don't like the feeling I have when I see you two! Just get this over with!"

"U-Um... Thing is Mion, Saori didn't tell me where to kiss you to dispel the potion..."

"Baka Wataru! If you had time to find that out, you had time to ask! Mou..." She just figured out that they were in a weird position that you see in so many romance dramas.

"Sorry..." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Before anything... Do you mind getting off of me?"

"Sorry Mion but I can't do that. I'm on top to make sure you can't get away. I don't want you to keep running away."

"Just hurry up and get it over with! You want this to end don't you?!"

"Why are you so frustrated Mion?" She slapped his cheeks.

"Why do you always not look happy when you're with me?! I also want you to just smile! I've changed from a year ago!"

"Hm... So it was that huh? Mion you really aren't observant when it comes to yourself are you?"

"You're always putting on a forced smile! I don't want that!" She stared into his glowing emerald green eyes. But the fangs she saw made the look in her eyes change.

"_That's right h-he's still a werewolf…"_

"Are these fangs scaring you?" When she tried to move back, his teeth touched her neck.

"Eek! What are you doing Wataru?!" She grabbed her trembling neck.

"I didn't do anything! It was an accident!"

"Mou! What is this?! Hurry and dispel the spell!" She closed her eyes.

"The cheek okay Mion?"

"Hurry and get this over with!" Because he was so slow, Mion opened her eyes. Wataru approaching her made her back up a bit before his mouth touched the side of her cheek near her right eye. That spot lit up as a half heart appeared on Mion's skin.

"M-Mion… When did you have that kind of spot on your face…? There's a half heart mark…"

"Eh?! Wataru! What did you do?! Did Saori say anything about this?! No!" She pushed him down as she buried her face in his tuxedo.

"M-Mion what are you doing?"

"I don't need comfort… Just leave me alone… It's not like I allowed this to happen because it's you Wataru…" He sighed as he gave up.

"_As expected of the the queen of the tsundere kingdom…" _

"M-Mion… What exactly are you doing?" Serena stared at them with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Was it too romantic for you Serena?" Ome appeared behind her grinning.

"Omae! Aren't you running away from that kid?!"

"Nope. I already dealt with him. Ah more stimulation!" She pointed to a couple hugging near the trees.

"What's with this school?! There too much love in the air!" She ran off.

"Well she does have a point… You'd think there was more love than any learning at Aono Gakuen…" As Ome is looking at the bright sky(even if it is cold), someone falls on her.

"W-Where's Aira?"

"Shou… You… Is that the first thing you say when you fall on someone?" He got up and ran off.

"He better not have reached her first! Aira!" Shou's yell echoed.

"You're going to get payback for this Shou…"

"But before that, don't we have unfinished business?" Serena was grinning with an angry werewolf next to her.

"Ah… Didn't I just lose you?" An angry Steve was still staring at her.

"Oi! That's not the way to treat me-"

"I didn't forget what today was. Come on." She dragged him off.

"Oi Ome! What about our match?!" She waved as a reply to Serena.

"Serena Chan! Help me!" Kanon was running out of the bushes with a boy chasing her.

"I thought Saori said we were the only two that weren't targets?!"

"More like you two are a special case! One boy is indecisive so both of you are his targets!" Saori was broadcasting.

"Kanon san! Serena san! I love you!"

"No! Don't come any closer!"

"We're running too!" Steve grabbed Ome's hand as well. But before they could run at full speed, Steve tripped over someone.

"Te! Wataru! Mion! What in the world?!" Wataru was still on top of Mion.

"Don't go doing those things here! Find somewhere where you guys are alone!" Steve remarked after Ome's loud outburst.

"It's not what it seems!"

"You expect me to believe that when I'm seeing such a provocative scene…?" Wataru's eyes started glowing.

"W-What?! It's not like that! I'm a pure idol-" Mion protested.

"Wataru? What's going on?"

"I don't know… I feel the need for blood right now…" Ome and Mion stared at him with unimpressed faces and the anime gloom lines running on the left side of their faces and they're mouths were wide open. Steve did the sound effects.

"Those sound effects aren't needed Steve!" Mion yelled.

"You finally called me by my name Takamine Mion Chan! Wai!" He was in bliss.

"Ok… First they were werewolves that calmed down when they kissed a girl and left a half heart shape mark on them-" Ome started, with sweat drops accumulating on the back of her head.

"How would you even know that?! It looks like Steve hasn't done anything to you yet!" She was inspecting Ome for marks.

"You said my name again! I love you Mion Chan!" Ome smacked him down.

"On second thought, I'm going to have ignore what today is!"

"Why?!" Steve shouted.

"We don't have time for this! Wataru's becoming a blood-thirsty vampire as we speak! You can suck _his_ blood but Mion's blood is off limits!" Ome and Mion turned to run.

"I love how I'm the scapegoat! Oi! Let me run with you guys!"

"I need blood…" Wataru's eyes were glowing red as he pushed Steve down.

"What the- Get off of me! I don't go that way Wataru!"

"I need blood…"

"Don't repeat it! Get off of me! I don't like men! MARs save me! I'm supposed to be chasing the scent of the snapdragon!"

"You don't have to now!" Ome yelled happily.

"Ome… To leave him like that…"

"Oh and another side-note! I don't mind Boys Love!"

"I do!" Both Wataru and Steve said in unison.

"Then why are you on me?! Get off Wataru!"

"I need blood…"

"Don't give me that crap! Hey quit it! Not the neck! Oi!" Ome and Mion were blushing. They instinctively passed by the two people hiding behind a large tree.

"W-Why are we hiding behind a tree Shou san?" Aira asked as Shou's fangs were right above her forehead.

"Aira… Sorry…" He leaned down just for her to dodge.

"I don't want to be bitten! Shou san!" He smiled.

"Don't worry Aira. I would do anything in my power to not harm you." Ome and Mion were hiding behind a nearby tree.

"In all honesty, I doubt he's strong enough to counteract that potion."

"Ome! Steve's-"

"Wow! Don't you think the boys we hang out with, are wild? My! Steve Chan you're becoming an adult!"

"Kimui! I'm not ready for this!"

"Mah… Steve Chan's a girl at heart…" Ome was blushing like a mother seeing her son bringing a girlfriend to her doorstep.

"That phrase is so irritating, I'm insulted and it's not even directed toward me…" Mion just stood there shaking her head.

"Nee nee, don't you think that's cute?" Ome was pointing at Shou's arm around Aira's neck and the two faces so close, it seemed as if they were kissing. Mion blushed.

"_A-Aira… What?!" _

"Shou san… I'm okay…"

"Of course you're not. You're not dressed for this weather you know." He was pointing to her bubble hem dress. Shou took off his suit and put it around her.

"T-Thank you Shou san… I'm sorry for the trouble again…"

"It's not trouble. I get worried about you."

"Which provokes him to do stupid things…" Ome laughed to herself.

"But they look very happy… Aira…"

"If you admire that happiness find out how Jun feels about you. Ah! Oi! Watch it!" Steve was running away from Wataru and running their way. As Ome pushed Mion away, Steve fell on her which made Wataru go after Mion, who was now not safe from his thirst for blood.

"Ome! Finally!" Mion was pointing at Ome's forehead glowing.

"Baka… I'm officially running away!" Mion ran after her. And the boys chased them.

"It's so noisy! Keep it down!" Shou shouted at the ruckus around them.

"I-It's better that way Shou san! It means they're energetic! And it won't make this situation so embarrassing!" She shouted to which caught Mion's attention. Shou blushed too.

"Sorry… I guess I went a bit overboard…"

"_You just realized it?! Useless Shou…" _Mion thought as she hid in a bush.

"Found you~"

"T-The trouble…"

"Your blonde hair is so easy to spot _Mion Chan_~" As he was getting ready to push her down again, Ome came up from behind and drop kicked him. As he fell on his stomach, Ome tripped Steve, which made him fall on Wataru.

"That hurt Ome Chan!" The green-eyed "vampire" was struggling to get away from Steve.

"Oi Amy! Stop making the guys fall on each other!" Shou yelled in their direction.

"Sure! If you can do something about their blood thirst!" She ran off, dragging Mion with her.

"Hey! Don't just run-" He was leaning forward to see Ome and Mion more accurately just for his mouth to bump with the lower part of Aira's forehead. The reason why her bangs were held up by her hand was the fact that she was a bit hot and needed a way to keep a little cool.

"K-Kiss…" Aira was losing strength in her legs which made Shou kneel down to grab her before she fell.

"_The only ones left are Rizumu, Rie and Kiri huh…"_ Ome stopped running and went back.

"Mion, I'm going to tie up all the guys here. Shou's blood thirst is kicking in. You go find Rizumu."

"But can you really-"

"I'm going to do it one way or another. Go. You don't want Wataru to find out which direction you went do you?" She ran at a fast speed off into the forest.

"Sate to… Aira, duck!" A can hit Shou in the head as Aira turned her head and Ome ducked.

"Serena Chan?!" Aira looked at a distraught Serena walking to Ome.

"Oi Serena. Even I wouldn't do that. Too much stimulation again? Sorry to bring this up, but what happened to the boy chasing you guys?" She was pointing to a tired Kanon running toward them. Serena officially snapped.

"It's a nightmare… This isn't right! Tell me this is a dream Ome!" She started furiously shaking her even though Ome was obviously not interested.

"You're not sleeping Serena. It's exactly two minutes after nine."

"I'm in living hell right now! There's this monster sneaking up on me! I'm going to have nightmares for a while! No!"

"Wow. To think you'd be this confused… More like the reason lies in…" She started grinning as Serena shivered.

"Ome what should we do-" Kanon sat on the ground exhausted.

"If you're so afraid, take these." She gave them both bags with pills in them and ropes.

"What is this?"

"They're pills that will knock the guys out for 10 minutes at most. Tie them up when they go unconscious."

"These are sleeping pills aren't they?!"

"Not exactly. They'll counteract the effects of the potion for only 10 minutes after the boys wake up, meaning these pills only last 20 minutes at most. And it's dangerous to try to make them swallow another one. By then, they'll already be immune to the effects. Mou… Saori knew this was going to happen and prepared for it… By the way… Did one of you guys get kissed by that guy in the glasses yet?"

"No…? Why? Something going to happen?" Serena answered as she took some pills and the rope.

"This. Once you get this mark, the boy's going to become a vampire. Don't you get caught Serena, Kanon. Especially you Serena. You'd probably get scared the second you see his eyes." She lifted her bangs to show them the half heart mark she got.

"Ome Chan! Help! Shou san's acting weird!"

"Shimatta(Uh oh)! I got sidetracked!" She ran over and slipped a pill into his mouth.

"Ome Chan, what was that?"

"He just fell asleep. Aira, even if you don't want to do this, help me tie Shou up. He's going to come after your blood again so it's best to restrain him for a while." Her blank stare made Ome change her mind. "Never mind you go after Mion. Just run straight. Don't worry, I promise you won't get lost." She pushed her forward as she tied up Shou.

"I'm guessing you want us to help you?" Kanon was pointing to a rising Steve.

"That'd be good. And if possible, can you guys take care of that idiot? I'll take care of Wataru."

* * *

"Mion Chan!"

"Aira! Why are you here?! What about Shou?"

"Ome tied him up and told me to find you." Sweat drops formed on both of their heads.

"Well in any case, Rizumu and Hibiki are right there." Aira looked to see a sitting down Rizumu and Hibiki's eyes glowing under the moonlight. He kneeled down and grabbed her shoulder. She flinched.

"It's okay Rizumu. I'm still Hibiki." He whispered into her ear.

"That's good…" She leaned toward him.

"Aira, do you know what's the advantage of that cloak?"

"Hiding?" Mion pointed over to them as her answer.

"H-Hibiki, why are we alone in a forest?! What was the point of being alone…?"

"It's easier that way." His fangs were revealed.

"I don't want to get bitten! No!" He chuckled.

"I wouldn't take away your first kiss Rizumu… Unless you want me to… I don't mind…"

"I thought you were going to bite me! What exactly are you supposed to look like Hibiki?!"

"I think a werewolf-"

"Don't eat me! Ah!"

"_R-Rizumu/Rizumu Chan… Give him a chance to talk…" _

"I won't do that. But because you're so cute, I can't promise that I won't do anything else…"

"Again with that teasing! Mou!" The pink bruise on her cheek was exposed.

"Rizumu? Again with hiding your wounds from me?" He reached to touch it but Rizumu grabbed his hand.

"This isn't exactly a wound Hibiki! You're overreacting about something like this!" Hibiki remembered the time when he witnessed Rizumu being slapped by another girl.

"Someone did this didn't they?"

"Actually I bumped my cheek on a locker and just came to the party with the pink-"

"Is that really true?" His piercing gaze made her stop talking.

"Rizumu Chan bumping her cheek on a locker…?" Aira thought to herself.

"Is that actually true?" Mion asked Aira as she was trying to recall what happened.

"Actually I think it is true. Rizumu Chan tripped or slipped and hit her cheek on a shoe locker… But I thought the mark disappeared? It was just as pink as that bruise right now but…"

"Tripped or slipped…" Mion shook her head.

"It's true Hibiki. Don't worry. I know what you're thinking. It wasn't someone slapping me! I actually slipped on something slippery and hit a shoe locker… But I thought the mark disappeared because while it hurt, Mion and Aira said nothing was there so…" He put both of his hands on her cheeks even though her right cheek hurt.

"D-Do you think Hibiki san is actually sadistic?! Don't hurt Rizumu Chan… Onegai…"

"Now that's be something… Well that's highly unlikely but that would be something interesting if it came up…"

**Ome: And with that being said, what do you fans think? Should Toudou Hibiki be depicted as a sadistic playboy from now on?**

**Shou: Ome! You know that Hibiki isn't like that!**

**Ome: Tsk, tsk, tsk! This is a fanfiction! Anything not from the original series can be included(sort of joking)! In fact, I strive for comedy and randomness in my writing!**

**Shou: Oi! Make sure you get what this story needs to express through to the readers! And don't suddenly go saying randomness! You'll lose fans if you're too random!**

**Ome: Which ultimately means you lose fans too right Shou? Of course I know that! Thing is, I'm not changing a few things about you Shou… *snicker***

**Wataru: And back to the story… This was a short commercial if you're wondering what this is exactly, fans! Ome Chan is such a joker isn't she? *winks***

**Shou and Ome: This **_**is**_** not! Wait- *pushes Shou out of the way for a bit***

**Ome: This is no joke! I'm an author!**

**Shou: And I'm an idol! Why are you pushing me away from the camera?!**

**Ome: You need that much camera-time Shou? **

**Shou: I rather be in front of the camera than in the back waiting for your ranting to end! *glare***

**Ome: Bring it on!**

**Kanon: What are you guys trying to do to my Hibi kun?! I won't allow anyone to call him sadistic! *chases Shou and Ome with medusa hair and demonic eyes***

**Ome: I'm an author! I take suggestions from fans! I never said anything!**

**Shou: I'm an idol and one of Hibiki's best friends! Why am I being chased when I was trying to protect Hibiki?!**

**Kanon: You dare to call my Hibi kun sadistic?! I won't forgive you!**

**Ome and Shou: I didn't say anything! D-Don't crawl on the ceiling! *running away***

**Wataru and Steve: For real this time, this is the end of this commercial! Back to Never Ending Bonds! Thanks for watching the advertisement for how much support Toudou Hibiki kun gets! Watch again!**

"Stay still Rizumu." He gripped her left cheek with his hand softly. He wrapped his cloak around them so the only thing Mion and Aira saw was a blushing Rizumu before the cloak covered up the two of them.

"_Damn it Hibiki! Did you find out that we're spying?"_

"_R-Rizumu Chan! Hibiki san is so daring… Mah…" _While Mion was shaking her fists, Aira was sitting there blushing.

"Nee Nee Mion Chan!" Aira's eyes were sparkling like a little child seeing a teddy bear displayed at a store and wanting it as she tugged on Mion's dress.

"A-Aira… What's with that face…?"

"Doesn't that scene look like something from Dracula?" Even the tone of her voice sounded like a little girl which made Mion blush. Her eyes widened when she processed what she just heard.

"A-Aira… Rizumu may be in big trouble…" The cloak was unveiled with an incredibly pink Rizumu glowing. The half heart shape appeared above her bruise.

"Vampires on the run!" Serena's voice echoed as a big presence was coming their way.

"Here's a present for you Mion! I can't deal with this anymore!" Ome threw a tied up Wataru at Mion. As they fainted from the clash, Steve and Shou were closing in on the crowd of girls.

"Aira Chan!" Steve leaped toward her.

"Who's going to allow you near Aira?!" Shou blocked his way. As they battled, Kanon pushed Rizumu away from Hibiki.

"Hibi kun is mine!"

"I never said he was _mine_ Kanon! Don't get the wrong idea!" As she blushed Hibiki stayed quiet.

"This has just become a mess… Mou…"

"Well Serena we still have what? 4 hours and 48 minutes?"

"This party doesn't end until 1:00 in the morning?!"

"Serena you mean two in the morning. And yes-" A tired Kiri fell on Ome.

"O-Ome… Save me…"

"I can't save you if I'm the one dying…"

"Ah!" The girls' scream echoed through the night.

"This is going to be one _long_ night…" Saori said as she was sitting on the balcony admiring the pretty night sky.

**~~~~~~~~If only regular life was as exciting and heart-threatening as their adventures right? Eh? Heart-threatening? Nothing to worry about~ This is anime after all~~~~~~~~**


	19. Dance that Brings Forth Smiles

The party had continued with Saori finally giving the girls a break and giving another potion to the boys that will turn them back to normal for about an hour. Either way, once the boy bit the girl's neck, they would turn back to normal. And just another recap (well not really), KIYUMI and the 3 boys from school were acting more civilized than MARs and Callings as they were hiding near the building instead of the noisy woods.

"Eh?~ Only an hour? There's still 4 hours and 44 minutes left of the party…" Rizumu clearly wasn't happy as Ome showed her the timer.

"Hey, you never know what's going to happen in that one hour." Ome was pointing to Mion staring at a conversing Jun and Asechi President. Aira and Rizumu realized what the meaning behind that was.

"After spending so much time with Wataru san, we totally forgot that Mion Chan still has feelings for Jun san…"

"_Mion… "_ Wataru stared at her back, perplexed that she was looking sad.

"Wataru should go cheer her up!" Rizumu was going to push Wataru forward but Ome grabbed her arm. She shook her head.

"This is not something we should get into. Mion plans to say it. In the hour Saori gave us." Everyone's facial expressions darkened as Ome grouped Kiri, Sasahara and Seiji together.

"W-What are you doing Ome?"

"Nothing at all. Have fun for the next hour." She walked off as Mion went up to Jun.

"Jun san, I need to talk with you! Right now! Can we take a walk outside?" Her serious expression surprised him but he gave in and went. Most of the group looked at their moving figures with tense faces.

"We really should go watch them! Mion-" Rie started but Wataru stopped her from running.

"We shouldn't spy Rie Chan. Let's leave them alone." Wataru put plain and simple with a pained expression on his face.

"_What exactly are you thinking Hyuuga senpai?"_ Jiro was getting frustrated at his selfless attitude.

"I would like to announce that a lottery will be held right now! Whoever wants to participate for some amazing prizes, please come up and wait in line for a raffle ticket!" All the girls ran as some boys joined them.

"I hope to get something big!" Mii said as her friends smiled with her.

"Let me remind all the females that the watches I gave you will have an alarm sound once the one hour is up~ Make sure to keep track of time~"

* * *

"So Mion, what's going on? Have you realized what you're missing?" He joked.

"I already learned that a few months ago. Now that I have so many friends, I realize that my Prism Show was incomplete because I didn't have the right drive toward it without anyone there to support me. Now I know that it's still incomplete because I'm still young and have more potential."

"You've matured. Good for you Mion."

"Nee Jun san, do you like younger girls or older women?" He knew she was going somewhere with this because her back was turned to him.

"I see stars as, older the better." She sighed.

"It's only been 4 minutes and the truth is already out. Mou Jun san, you usually talk in riddles but sometimes you just say it bluntly. Any reason why?" He saw a star shining in the star and decided that there was no need to hide it anymore.

"Mion, you've probably figured this out and want me to say it so I will. There's someone that will always be my little star. That'll be you, an aspiring Prism Show idol that has been changed due to Aira, Rizumu and certain people. But there's only one person that I am willing to create love fireworks for."

"So I was right about you guys… He put his hands in his pocket as the moon came out. As if to emphasize this scene, the moon shone on the two who were close but now felt distant toward each other.

"So you did know… Mion-"

"I guess it was pretty obvious to me Jun san. Now that I know that you like her, I guess it would be rude of me to confess my love to you. The Jun san that stayed with me ever since three years ago. One of the only people that refused to leave my side… But I can tell what you mean now."

"It's not only me here for you now. You have so many friends and possible love sprouting close by. I won't tell you to give up on me, but I believe that sooner or later, you will find someone that is willing to stay by your side even more than me. I am still here for you but I can't be that person that will be waiting for you down the aisle."

"Because you're waiting for the perfect time to propose to her right? You should hurry up Jun san. You're 25 already. With the way Aira and Rizumu are acting, they'll get married before you." She joked as she stuck her tongue out. This wasn't the bubbly character she showed in front of the camera. It was a part of the true Mion.

"That may be hard considering her stubbornness about how love is not needed in the Prism Show."

"Do you think love between Prism Show idols will survive?"

"If their resolve is powerful enough, the public won't be able to protest." Mion started sobbing. She wasn't just tearing up, many tears fell down her cheeks. Instead of panicking like someone would (who do you guys think? :D), Jun walked toward her with a handkerchief.

"Mion's okay… I'll get over it… That Jun san can't return my feelings…" She wasn't exactly trying to be difficult by making it hard for Jun to wipe her tears, with her back facing him. But how was she going to turn around? Even if she made such good friends, you can't expect Mion to learn to cry in front of others so easily after only a few months of a change in her personality for the better. Jun surprised her as he turned her around and pulled her into a hug. While their height difference was obvious, it didn't matter to either of them.

"This is the best I can do. I'm sorry to have to make you fall in love with someone as unromantic as I am. Of course I like you Mion but remember what I said when it was your birthday this year? You're better off with someone your age, not someone like me, with a 10 year difference in age. I wasn't joking-" Her grip on his suit's sleeves made him stop midway.

"I understand… Please just let me hold on for a little longer… Not as a girl that confessed to you but as a little sister… Someone you will never date but will love like a family member…" Her quick acceptance to the fact that Jun would never reciprocate her feelings for him surprised him yet again this evening, but that same smile you see on his face everyday, appeared.

* * *

"We were just yelling and having fun a few minutes ago… Now this…" Rizumu was sitting on the open balcony, which is dangerous. Of course, since she's so hot-headed, it didn't matter.

"It's rare to see you like this Rizumu Chan. You're worried about Mion Chan too?" Aira walked up behind her, giving her an expression that showed that she had also seen the scene. Aira also climbed to sit next to Rizumu.

"It's dangerous Aira!"

"A change in pace is okay once in a while! And if it's dangerous, why are you sitting here Rizumu Chan?" She teased. Rizumu gave in and just sighed.

"She liked Jun san even before she met us. It must be hard to just suddenly give up those feelings…"

"Nee Rizumu Chan do you understand the sadness of having to give up your love for someone?"

"Not really. Aira what are you trying to say?" Finally turning her head away from the balcony, Aira faced Rizumu with a small smile.

"You're still holding onto those feelings for Hibiki san aren't you Rizumu Chan? Even though Rie Chan likes Hibiki san, you haven't given up either have you?"

"Every time he gets close to me, I can't help but fall for him again… I only realize later what had happened and regret double-crossing Rie… I know it isn't fair to her but…" Rie was leaning on the wall next to the balcony.

"I'm so stupid… I was using that grudge I had against Rizumu to make other girls in the school bully her but I regret that now. I want to change it but I just gave more work to myself because it'll be hard persuading them to stop… Either way, I'm sorry Rizumu… I know now that you can't be the type to betray a friend." Rie mumbled. She looked up with a smile as it seems that she has just taken a step forward.

"I don't think there's a reason to feel guilty for those feelings. To tell the truth I've realized that I don't want to lose Shou san. Maybe I really do like him…"

"I'm happy for you Aira! Now that you've realized your feelings, I think you and Mii will be able to have a fair chance for Shou. By now, I think Mii has understood your nature and has her doubts on what exactly happened between you and that boy!"

"Do you think it's okay to hold on to these feelings of love?"

"I actually feel really scared to find out what Rie's reply would be if I told her that I like Hibiki too…"

"We change our minds often don't we?" They smiled at each other as they glanced at a peaceful Mion hugging Jun.

"When you really look at them, they really do look like siblings nee Aira?"

"I agree~ Mion Chan seems to have accepted this fact so I'm happy for her."

"Me too~ As long as Mion and Aira are happy, I will be too!"

"Mou Rizumu Chan! You're making me blush!"

"Heh~ Are you sure you weren't thinking of Shou saying something like 'As long as Aira's happy, I will be too.'?" Rizumu tried to imitate Shou's voice.

"Rizumu Chan!" The two best friends continued to stare at the night scenery, while sitting on the balcony. Ome sitting on a tree branch on a nearby tree also smiled.

"While they didn't exactly resolve any of their love problems, if they're happy, I have nothing else to say. Hm? 40 minutes left? How did time pass so fast? Either Saori set the timer early or we're just not paying attention… Well either way, it's time." She stared at Aira and Rizumu waiting.

"A-Aira… I feel weird… Like my thoughts are getting jumbled up…"

"M-Me too… I wonder why?"

* * *

"You must think the potion is ridiculous don't you Kyoko?"

"Yes. very much so. What were you thinking Saori?"

"Lots of things~ See we're at the 37 minute mark huh? There's actually another way for the girls to cure the boys without having to get their blood sucked. The boy and girl must have synchronized mutual feelings toward each other. Only in these 37 minutes will there be a chance to create mutual feelings between the two because after they go back to being vampires or werewolves, that'll be impossible."

"You've had this all planned out from the beginning huh?"

"Yes~ And the girls that come back here at midnight with no bite marks, get special prizes. Fufu~"

"Tsui-Ling you're certainly bias toward a few couples don't you think?"

"And I'll openly admit it. And one more thing: the potion is set to wear off at midnight."

"You might as well tell me the long story straight through because you have an answer to every question that appears in my head…"

"Isn't that proof of our bond?"

* * *

"What exactly are you girls thinking, sitting somewhere so dangerous?" Shou and Hibiki yanked the inquiring girls off the rail of the balcony without warning.

"W-We thought it'd be fun…"

"Mou…" Shou and Hibiki rubbed their heads.

"Wataru san wa?" Aira was looking for him. Hibiki and Shou just let out sighs as they shook their heads with smiles on their faces.

"He couldn't take it anymore and went after Mion." Hibiki, Rizumu and Shou started cracking up, leaving Aira the only one that just sighed.

"I hope they're okay!" Rizumu said louder than she expected.

"It's Mion and Wataru. They'll be fine. Now how about we go on a walk Rizumu? I'll be your escort." Hibiki teased as Rizumu's face reddened and Aira had a teasing expression on her face.

"Go ahead Rizumu Chan. I'm sure you'll have fun~" Aira patted her back.

"You haven't been forgotten Aira~ How about we go on a walk too? There are supposed to be very pretty Queen of the Nights blooming tonight. Besides you're dressed for the weather." Shou looked at her with a pink dress and a coat over it, with a smile.

"Go ahead Aira~ I'm sure it'll be fun~" These best friends are too alike. As they switched reactions, the girls got pulled by their respective escorts(don't lie, we all know it's a date).

"It's Christmas, I have something to give you Rizumu!" Hibiki pulled her off first.

"Let's go too Aira! I have something I want to give you too!" It made her embarrassed that he was saying it so openly that he had a present for her. Even though it was normal to give presents on Christmas, her face was reddening because he was so enthusiastic about it, enough to grab her wrist.

* * *

"_Mutual feelings is the key here, Wataru kun."_ As Wataru went to find Mion, that phrase repeated in his mind. Apparently, when he went to ask if there is any other way besides having to bite Mion's neck, the Headmistress answered with that exact phrase.

"_That can mean many things Principal… You'd think of that as having mutual love feelings for each other but judging by her expression, it doesn't necessarily have to be that… If it was the feeling of loving each other the most, then it can't be accomplished but… Wait… Am I sort of hoping for that…?!"_ He saw Mion and Jun around the corner.

"Looks like your new prince came for you." He pointed to a weary Wataru hiding behind the corner.

"He's not my prince!" Jun walked off as Wataru came toward Mion.

"Hey Mion. What's up?" She ran up to him.

"Did you hear any of the conversation?"

"No… I just got here…" She moved back.

"Well as long as you didn't hear the details… I guess it was inevitable that I was going to be rejected by Jun san…"

"But judging from your reaction, you seemed perfectly fine with it."

"Baka Wataru… There's no way that rejection was _not_ going to bother me. I'm used to putting on these pointless facades. Jun san was just playing along."

"It looks like you haven't vented enough. I'm here so you can just yell out your feelings you know."

"And risk being heard by people? No way." He approached her and pulled her into his arms.

"Then this is my way of comforting a Mion that won't admit to her true feelings."

"It's not fair Wataru… You used the fact that you're stronger than me and that you can read my emotions, against me… Baka…"

"Aren't I the person that understands Mion the best?~" The playful tone of his voice made Mion give in.

"Ahhh… To think that I would be rejected so soon… I'm surprised that Jun san didn't reject me earlier… Either way, it still hurts to know that he had someone he liked already…" Wataru stayed quiet. "And to think that it was someone that said that love wasn't needed in the Prism Show… And they're not even real siblings to add to that… This is sure a messed up situation." She paused when she heard no comments from Wataru. "Why are you staying quiet Wataru? You have something to say don't you?" His silence made her snap. She grabbed him by the collar. "Why won't you say anything?! Something like 'It serves me right'?! That I was better off getting rejected by an older man?! Stop staying silent and say something! Just say something…" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as they fell down.

"What can I say? What am I supposed to say to you when you're so sad?! I don't want to see this kind of Mion but I still want to be here to comfort you! What do I do?!" He leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Wataru-"

"Not after what happened… Just let out your feelings… I won't say anything… Please…" She looked at his pained expression and started sobbing.

"_I don't want to see this kind of Wataru… And it's my fault that he's pained… What should I do?!"_

"_I don't want to see this kind of Mion… My silence is making her sad but I can't say anything that will make her feel worse… I don't know what to say anymore… Just what should I do?!" _Wataru's body started to glow as the two parted from surprise. The glow lasted a few seconds before it faded. Mion's timer went off with the words "Winner" engraved on it. They stood up from the news.

"It looks like we were able to do it. Now I won't have to bite your neck. We must've had some kind of mutual feelings just now." He smiled at her as he hugged her again.

"We had mutual feelings?! No way!"

"Ah! There goes your habit again~"

"It has to be a one in a lifetime chance for me and Wataru to have the same feelings toward each other!"

"Well lucky that I bet on it." Even though she pulled away from embarrassment, Wataru pulled her into another one of his embraces.

"It's warm…" Mion mumbled.

"Of course it is! I'm a warm person after all!" She was going to protest but decided not to since Wataru was in a good mood.

"_I really don't seem to hate it when Wataru's here for me… He's far from being a prince to me… But he doesn't have to be-" _Her thoughts were interrupted when Wataru was putting something on her neck. She stared at the shiny purple jeweled necklace around her neck. She blushed when she saw a grinning Wataru.

"That's your Christmas present, before I forget. I thought you'd like it but that's up to you Mion." She smiled at the necklace because it was just plain pretty.

"H-Here…" She wrapped a red muffler around Wataru's neck. She looked away because she didn't want to see his reaction.

"It's nice and warm! Thanks Mion!"

"D-Don't misunderstand! I had time to make another muffler after Jun san's!" She herself knew she was lying because Jun's present was actually gloves. And they were pure black.

"Well either way, I'm happy that I got a hand-made gift from Mion!" His carefree attitude kicked in.

"I-It isn't that big of a deal-"

"Of course it is! I'm telling everyone when we get back inside!"

"No way!" She chased him around as Ome was grinning from the tree branch.

"I wonder when they're gonna realize that it's starting to snow… Well there's no worries on this side… Now the other two groups… I wonder how it'll turn out?"

"Oi." Steve was on the next branch, probably angry about earlier.

"Yo. I didn't forget what it was today. Here." She tossed two presents at him.

"_At this age… It's kind of embarrassing if anyone saw this…" _She turned the other way to see if anyone was spying. Steve's body started glowing. She stared in disbelief. He didn't seem to realize what it meant as he grinned at the first present, a pair of piercings. When he unwrapped the second present, he looked unimpressed at the anime poster around the real gift.

"Oi! You know how much I don't like Hibari Kyoya!"

"I don't know such a thing~" The real present was a cap that Steve seemed to like. He also threw her, her present. It was a hair accessory. They both smiled at each other.

"Oi Baka, you must've been thinking that this was embarrassing at this age weren't you?"

"Then I'm guessing you were thinking that too?" She revealed her watch with the sign "Winner" on it. Those smiles turned into grins.

"This means we're free to wreck havoc. Who's first?"

"Of course them over there." He was pointing to an arguing Rie and Jiro.

* * *

"Hibiki! Where exactly are we going?!"

"The lake!" He smiled back at her.

"There was a lake on school grounds?!"

"Of course there was! The Headmistress said it was there for scenery and fishing!" Rizumu tripped at the sound of such a strange idea. Hibiki kneeled and caught her in his arms.

"This actually makes it easier! Hold on tight Rizumu!" She clutched his tuxedo and closed her eyes as Hibiki continued running. It was closer than she thought. Rizumu was a bit disappointed that it was so close because that meant that she had less time in Hibiki's arms. "Oh? It looks like Rizumu's disappointed that the lake was so close. But who said I was going to let go of you just yet?" He kneeled and hugged her tighter.

"H-Hibiki?!"

"Sorry, it was a joke~" He put her down as he turned the other way.

"_I might've taken it a bit far… At least I got a hold of myself…" _He saw a confused Rizumu and kneeled down again.

"I got a bit too excited…" Rizumu had her hand on her heart as she was blushing. Hibiki forced a smile.

"What do you think Rizumu?" He pointed to the lake next to them. The white snow and still water made the sight magical.

"No matter how cold it is, there's always something great about winter…"

"You're right. It includes the holiday season too."

"That's right!" She took the packaged gift from her jacket pocket and handed it to him. "Here Hibiki!" He smiled as he took the rectangle gift box. As he opened it, Hibiki laughed.

"Did you happen to see Wataru and I go shop for our gifts too, Rizumu?" Her eyebrow twitched.

"N-No…"

"Then it must be fate that you knew that I liked this necktie." He held up the striking blue diamond patterned tie. As a romance fanatic, Rizumu blushed because this kind of scenario is envied by many girls for many reasons such as, the guy saying such a line is one of the most popular boy idols out of the entire Prism Show.

"S-Stop teasing Hibiki…" He leaned closer to her.

"But Rizumu's reactions are the funniest~" His gift to her was left on her head. Her eyes shined with happiness when she opened it. A sapphire blue jeweled hair accessory was inside the gift box. It was in a shape of a big heart. There were even chocolate eggs on the side.

"Hibiki…"

"I thought you'd like another hair tie for your long hair and that chocolate represents the first Easter we spent together. Remember?" Of course she did. It was one of the first times she had fun in the Prism Show with love as her motivation. Rizumu tied the hair accessory on her small side ponytail.

"H-How does it look?"

"A perfect fit for you Rizumu. You look cute." She felt happy that he wasn't teasing her.

"Christmas really is magical…"

"In what way?" He teased.

"Of course I don't mean that it gives me more time with Hibiki! Well that's not wrong but-!"

"You wanted to spend more time with me? You could've just said that!~"

"Stop teasing me Hibiki! It's true so what about it?!"

"W-Wait Rizumu…"

"T-This is embarrassing… Really…"

"No kidding…" She turned to the lake and smiled at the breath-taking sight. Her usually clumped up long hair blew in the wind. Hibiki couldn't help but stare. But because Rizumu didn't catch onto to his gaze, he had enough time to turn his gaze back to the lake. There was a calm atmosphere between the two even though it really was cold.

* * *

"Sorry Aira but the flower viewing was a lie! I just wanted to talk to you alone!"

"Hai?!" His abrupt stop sent Aira into his arms.

"What would you do if that was the case?" She peered up at his playful expression.

"I-I wouldn't mind…" He slightly blushed at her reply.

"Then how about this?" She closed her eyes as she thought he was planning to well, kiss her. He stopped midway and took out his Prism Stone presents to her. They were pressed on her lips.

"Shou san-"

"Ahhh…" He let out a long sigh. "You fell for it again Aira…"

"Wah! So cute!" The stones were exclusive Christmas based Santa dresses with bunny ears as an accessory and boots with mute bells.

"She's not listening… Well that's fine too I guess." He turned to her. "I have other colors too." The only color difference was the sideways bow tied around the waist of each dress.

"Thank you Shou san!"

"That's the extra. The real gift is this." He wrapped a lovely pink colored scarf around her neck.

"T-This is my present to you Shou san." She wrapped the brown scarf around his neck in return. He took the chance to pull her arm and hug her.

"Please… Just let me hold you in my arms for a bit… Before I have to go back to a vampire…"

"Shou san? A-Are you worried that you'll hurt me?"

"I have to bite your neck Aira… I really don't want to do something like that…" She leaned back and put her hands on his cheeks.

"I'll be fine Shou san. I don't want my neck to be bitten either but because it's Shou san… I know that I'll be ok."

"_Aira… I really don't want to see you hurt because of me…"_

"_Shou san… He's feeling hurt because of me… I don't want that…"_ Shou's body started to glow a bright gold color. Aira's watch had the words "Winner" engraved on it.

"Aira…" His facial expression brightened up.

"Shou san…" The way she said it made it border line a question.

"I don't have to bite your neck anymore!"

"That's what you were so happy about?!"

"Why wouldn't I be happy? Now I don't have to worry about chasing Aira down anymore."

"Shou san, you worry so much about me… You were also worried when I told you that I wanted to jump the Aurora Rising…"

"I didn't want you to faint like Rizumu did. So please don't use the Aurora Rising for regular shows Aira… It hasn't even been a year since you became the Prism Queen and you could really fall over because you haven't gotten used to it yet…"

"Can I use it for tonight's closing Prism Show?" Her voice sounded strong.

"Aira-!"

"Tonight is a night to celebrate. Besides I want to give the Shou san that is always protecting and encouraging me another present. I promise that I won't faint. If I do… Well…"

"You get a penalty then." He was in a teasing mood.

"Shou san!"

"And if you feel tired, I'll be the one that'll break your fall."

"I-I won't! Probably…"

"See? You don't have confidence in yourself~" Instead of her cute pout, Shou found Aira looking away with abashment.

"I was thinking that maybe…"

"That it wouldn't be a bad idea, Aira?~" It was obviously a joke that Aira took seriously because he actually ended up hitting the nail on the head.

"T-That's right, Shou san…"

"It couldn't be because I'm always here for you right?"

"Yes…" His eyebrow twitched as he went red. The already flustered Shou continued to dig his own grave by blurting out nonsense that was actually true about how Aira felt.

"You weren't thinking back to Valentine's Day were you? That was…"

"I-I wasn't!"

"L-Let's go back inside, A-Aira…"

"Alright S-Shou san…"

"Oi, the dance is starting."

"O-Ome/Ome Chan?!"

"Do I look like like Ome?"

"M-Mii Chan… What's up?"

"Saori said to go inside. She's going to present the winners with prizes before the boys go back to being werewolves in 15 minutes."

"You really saved us, Mii…"

"Did something happen?" Their expressions froze.

"N-No…"

"Wow, it must be so cold that you're faces froze… Let's go inside!" She went on ahead because she knew what had happened. It was too hard not to spy on them.

"_These two really are strange… Shou san wanted to be alone with Aira but ended up getting embarrassed about it. It was too irritating to stand there because they were slow but I feel so much better now that I let go of my hate for Aira… Because I know that I never really did hate her…"_

"Why are you smiling Mii Chan? Did something good happen?"

"Yeah. Thanks Aira."

"F-For what?"

"For being here. Come on. Let's go." She held out her hand as Aira linked her arm with hers.

"Jealous that you're being forgotten?" Steve appeared behind Shou.

"Cheeky idiot… Of course not."

"Because romance and friendship are two different things?"

"Nope. It's definitely because he knows that he and Mii hold two different places in Aira's heart." Ome came behind them to annoy Shou too.

"You guys must be really bored to come to me and spew nonsense…"

"Mah ne~"

"I would like to present the prizes to the following pairs in order of fastest time: Mion and Wataru, Ome and Steve, Rie and Jiro, and the last couple: Aira and Shou!"

"Oi! You saved that 'couple' for last so we wouldn't say anything! I don't accept that title Saori!" Mion yelled.

"Of course I did! After all, all of you would be denying it! Especially the two AB types!"

"What does that have to do with this?! And who's an AB besides Wataru?!" Rizumu was the only one that didn't realize that it was Ome.

"That's not here or there. What are the prizes Saori?"

"For Mion and Wataru, we have matching mics-"

"Huh?!" Both of them stared in disbelief because it sounded so useless.

"For Ome and Steve we have matching wallpapers of your favorite colors."

"I don't want it!" They both yelled.

"Moving on, Rie and Jiro get matching gloves with your initials on them. They're made with special materials~"

"That sounds dangerous…"

"Sounds like fun~"

"You're just unhappy with your present Ome!"

"That's right. I wanted anime posters~ Well either way, I'm still going to Akihabara after New Years."

"Then there's no reason to be sad about your prize!" Rie pointed out.

"Tsk Tsk Tsk. Rie, you must learn that when it comes to anime merchandise, getting it as a present saves money and time. That being said, you must take advantage of free anime gifts~ That is the way of anime fans."

"That's just another way of being cheap isn't it?!" Mii and Mion shouted at the same time.

"Oh? It's rare for you two to come up with comebacks. And precisely. I'll openly admit that I don't turn down anime gifts that I didn't have to work to get~"

"Aira and Shou get matching caps~"

"Why does it sound like Saori is biased toward Aira and Shou?"

"It's obvious. Because they won't disagree." Rie and Rizumu gapped.

"Come up and get your gifts lovely pairs! If you don't, I'll just have to-"

"We'll go. Don't say the rest." The four pairs went up, not wanting to know what Saori would do to keep the party going.

"But really, what are these mics going to be useful for…?"

"Well at least we have matching items now Mion~ And no, I won't let you throw it away." They came down the stage with the super popular idol grabbing the super popular model's hand to prevent her from chucking the mic far away. Lucky there wasn't much of an audience watching them.

"It's nice but… I have no use for it…" Ome held the neon green wallpaper in her hand as she sighed.

"At least you actually got your favorite color… They messed up marine with maroon for me…"

"Why do I have to get matching gloves with Jiro? There was a limit to disappointment…"

"Hey!"

"This is a cute hat!" Shou flinched when Aira playfully turned her cap sideways.

"We have an extra gift that'll go to Rizumu and Hibiki~"

"And why is Saori in such a good mood again?" Rizumu smiled at the Prism Show ice pin she got.

"Those pins are perfect for Prism Show maniacs like them~" Suddenly the room was flooded with the students coming back to warm themselves from the cold.

"And it's time for the special Prism Show by MARs!"

"Isn't there a possibility that the ice is going to send shivers up their spines?"

"But MARs's overflowing love for the audience's happiness will warm their hearts~"

"How am I related to this weird woman…?" Steve face-palmed.

"And Otaku Party part 2 begins…"

"Expect a great show everyone!" Seeing them leave abruptly caused Callings to stop them by grabbing their respective hands. Steve whistled as Ome started laughing.

"The look on MARs's face is just priceless~"

"What's with them?" Kazuya broke the silence.

"Nothing. It just means that MARs needs to make a vow that nothing will happen to them."

"I promised didn't I Shou san?" He let go slowly.

"You know that I'm tough Hibiki!"

"Impudent Wataru! What do you take me for?" The other two followed in suit.

"Aira, you were planning to use the Aurora Rising Dream weren't you?"

"I got found out~ Rizumu Chan and Mion Chan will be jumping the Aurora Rising Final and Eternal Big Bang- Big Blue World right?"

"We've never tried to do it all in one show…"

"What are you thinking about Rizumu? MARs takes risks! All so we can bring happiness to those who watch us perform!"

"And we have these special Christmas-themed Santa outfits from Shou san~"

"Hm…" Both of her best friends just stood there and gave her creepy stares.

"I can already guess how he gave it to you~"

"After all, Shou really understands Aira, who is really simple."

"Mou!"

"Just kidding~"

"Wait! There are bunny ears on these?! I don't wear bunny ears!"

"Too late now!" They got changed anyway. The Santa outfit was red with only the fluffy bells on the boots and waist ribbon differing between each girl. Mion's theme color was purple, Rizumu's was blue and Aira's was magenta.

"Hein? What's taking them so long?" Kiri inquired.

"Pep talk. MARs always does it before a big show, meaning those three are planning to jump their best jumps in this one performance."

"B-But that's reckless!" Rie started to get worried.

"They're your rivals. Besides I'm sure Mion said something like this, 'MARs takes risks!'. Quit looking over here Callings. Even I don't know if they'll have enough energy for this." That seriously brought their mood down as the girls came out.

"Aira Chan in a bunny outfit! Get the camera!"

"Rizumu pyon!~"

"Takamine Mion Chan!"

"For our fans, we will continue to work hard to perform shows that make you all happy!" Aira shouted into her MARs headset.

"Please listen,"

"To 'You May Dream'!" Star Aura appeared, even before the show started.

**Let's dance together, go for it! Go for it!  
Do you wanna dance with me?**

MARs got ready to do a trio jump as Mion jumped to the right, Rizumu the left and Aira in the middle. "Hip Hop Win" was performed with more synchronicity because MARs really was putting their hearts into this.

**sora no iro to haru no kaori  
mazetemireba koi no yokan  
te wo nobaseba todoku kyori ni  
mirai sugu soba ni aru**

Rizumu glided her way on the brink of the ice rink. Everyone could tell that from that long curve, she was going to perform the Aurora Rising Final. She grew pure white wings and flew through the Aurora universe she created.

"_Rizumu… That movement…" _

**yuuki dashite MAMA no RU-JU**  
**tsuketemireba mune DOKI DOKI**  
**sukoshi senobi otona mitai**  
**PAPA ni naisho dakara ne!**

"Soar! Aurora Wings!"

**Ima wa mada Hayai to iu kedo...****  
Gaman dekinai****  
Saa Let's, Let's Dance! Let's Dance!**

**MEGA tanoshii! MECHA moriagaro!**

Everyone gasped when Mion was going for it too. She also glided on the ice in a long curve and jumped up. Burning magma was coming up from the crumbling ground with Mion spinning in the middle of the scene.

"Eternal Big Bang!" The universe was slowly enveloped in light, flowers and butterflies. Anywhere Mion touched, flowers sprouted. It was, indeed, a beautiful sight.

"_Reckless Mion…"_

"Mion won't be led astray! Shine! Big Blue World!"

**MUZU MUZU RIZUMU ni NORI NORI norimakureba****  
Yanchana ko wa CHANSU te ni suru****  
Itsu no hi ka Kanau hazu****  
Minna no Pretty Rhythm (PURIZUMU)**

"_Aira…" _Everyone's eyes fell on Aira. She also skated on the edge of the ice, slowly creating a half oval. Her graceful movement led to the Aurora Rising Dream. Every person got lifted up from the ground and joined MARs in the Aurora Rising.

"Aira!" Mii grinned because it felt reassuring that her friend and rival didn't lose her touch.

"Rizumu! Not bad!" Kanon called, slowly accepting her as a friend and worthy rival for Hibiki.

"Mion!" Serena got excited for the next battle Serenon and MARs would have.

"Everyone! Let's perform the Aurora Rising together!" Everyone obeyed. The Aurora scenery was filled with beautiful white wings that could reach the unknown universes with their purity. Before the scene could fade, Callings had gotten ahold of MARs again.

"Aira Chan…" Seiji felt a bit of jealously creeping up on him. Mii hit his back with her head because in this space, you were floating, so eventually you'd hit someone. He smiled as he helped her balance herself out.

"_I don't have to care about that." _Kazuya was also feeling flustered about having Hibiki holding Rizumu's hand, before his eyes.

"He's so unhonest. How uncute." Kiri pouted.

"Mion Chan…" Jiro sighed. He got flicked on the forehead by Rie.

"There's always next time. Wataru senpai can't always have the spotlight now can he?" Everyone landed back on the floor as the show ended. People cheered. Callings was waiting backstage for MARs.

"Thank you everyone!"

"We can accomplish shows like these because of your support!"

"Thanks everyone!" There really were genuine smiles on the fans' faces. That was more than enough for MARs as they skated backstage.

"Good work!" When Callings stepped up, MARs remembered getting held back by them, and not once but twice.

"Is that blush I see?" Kiri teased.

"Nope~ MARs just can't let go of those sweet memories~"

"Mah~" Kanon was in on the teasing too. It is fun after all.

"Hm…?~" All three of the boys from Callings took a step forward. It wasn't intimidation MARs felt, more like embarrassment from what Callings is going to say to add to the badgering for details.

"So, Mion won't be led astray? Hm…" Wataru chuckled as he said it.

"Of course I won't. I'm Takamine Mion after all."

"Woah. Mion's not being tsundere. How about we call an ambulance Saori?"

"On it."

"No way!"

"Don't worry Mion. Me and Prince will be sure to nurse you back to health~"

"Count me in on that too!"

"Kiri! Higuchi!"

"You were kind of pushing it weren't you Rizumu?"

"You noticed? I'm happy that it worked though."

"I am too."

"Because if Rizumu was hurt or even fainted, you'd fall into the depths of despair~" Rie appeared behind them.

"What Amamiya does in the course of a day…"

"Oi!"

"Looks like you kept that promise Aira but still I wish I could break your fall…"

"Shou san!"

"Fill us in on the promise~" Seiji and Mii came over.

"I-I just said that I wouldn't faint tonight! Nothing else!" Apparently she kind of jinxed herself, Mion and Rizumu because all of a sudden they all felt dizzy. Shou, Wataru and Hibiki grabbed their elbows.

"I didn't faint! It was just dizzy for a second!" Aira tried to justify herself even though it didn't matter to Shou.

"As long as you're okay Aira." She felt his temperature through his hands on her arms. Self-consciously knowing that she was indirectly feeling his temperature made Aira go red.

"There's her theme color!"

"What about you Rizumu? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Nope~ Maybe it was because I was spinning a lot…" Hibiki face-palmed as Rie fell down.

"Mion? Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm fine. Maybe it's the temperature in the room?"

"The temperature's fine~"

"Which means it's the issue with your temperature Mion. So? Is it because of _that_?" Jiro, Kiri, Wataru and Ome peered down at Wataru's tight grip on her arms. He let go immediately.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. You did it self-consciously so continue. We're not stopping you~" Wataru grabbed Mion's cheeks and pushed her forehead on his.

"Looks like you have a fever or just feeling hot because I'm here?"

"Wataru!"

"What about me?" Jiro had sparkles around his face too. Mion's expression froze.

"Mion's flustered because I'm here, Higuchi kun."

"You can't be so sure senpai~ What if Mion Chan is actually feeling hot because I'm standing behind her?" Lightning clashed between them.

"So Mion has time to be in love?"

"I'm not in love. What about you Serena? Are you so childish that you haven't found someone you like yet? Or someone that likes you? Ara mah…"

"I don't need that! I only want to beat you in the Prism Show and Ome in hand to hand combat!"

"No offense Serena, but I don't fight other girls."

"What?! But-"

"That incident happened because you started attacking me. I dodged and eventually you ran into a wall so I left."

"And I need to get you back for that!"

"Be my guest. But do you really think that a girl that hasn't even been in love yet can beat me?"

"You haven't been in love yet either!"

"I don't need to be." The corner her eye and Serena's straightforward eyes met stared at each other as lightning came up again.

"How about you let go of each other now?" Kanon really couldn't stand it anymore. They did as they were told.

"It's not-"

"I let this play out and Hibi kun and Rizumu get all touchy-touchy… I really can't leave you two alone…"

"What are you talking about?! It's not like that! You know you're always the one clinging to Hibiki!"

"And you don't cling to him?!"

"Because you do!"

"You do too! This blue-haired girl!"

"Oi! I'm Yukimura Rie!"

"So you're the other woman bothering Hibi kun…"

"What are you talking about?! I'm not a bother!"

"Hibiki gets flustered when he's with you!"

"He does with you too Rizumu!" Another round of lightning clashes between the trio, all fighting for Hibiki.

"Aira Chan, that was a beautiful performance~ As expected from a Yamato Nadeshiko!" He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Who's going to allow your hogging of Aira Chan? I sure won't."

"I'm not hogging Aira! Look at you, being protective of her to the point where you must have physical contact with her to make sure you don't lose her!"

"You were just holding her arms!"

"I did it for a good reason! You just want to monopolize her! Let go Adams!"

"You're going to do the same thing!" Another argument appears.

"It's so rowdy…" Kyoko shook her head.

"But it's fun that way~ How about you join them, Steve Chan?"

"I don't want to waste any energy on arguments~"

"When you're so childish? Pft."

"You wanna fight Kazuya?! Bring it on!"

"You'll be the one going down."

"Getting beaten by someone that conserves too much energy? Pft. This won't be much of a fight now will it?"

"Getting beaten by an idiot that will fail midway into the fight? Not happening."

"Well looks like both of you just epically failed because it's time." Saori pointed to Rie's watch. There were 5 seconds left of the potion's effects.

"Mii! Rizumu! Run!" Kiri dashed out as Mii followed her. Rizumu's belated escape was due to the fact that she didn't know what Saori meant.

"I need blood Rizumu…"

"Vampire Hibiki?!" She ran off after a loud outburst. The fortunate ones just stood there, relieved that they were safe from that madness for the rest of the night. But for one thing, every single one of our nine main characters had smiles on their faces.

**Mion: If Rie and Higuchi got a prize, that meant that they needed to have some sort of mutual feelings right?**

**Aira: They really do get along well~**

**Steve: Well knowing them, it was "Rie/Jiro is fine the way she/he is. And that's just fine."**

**Ome: You sure they aren't blushing because that wasn't what got them the prize? I can't picture these two settling down and thinking that… Unless of course, they decided to say that out loud~**

**Rie: Ome! Don't go saying things like that!**

**Jiro: What do I **_**not**_** want to change about Rie?! Everything needs to be changed! **

**Wataru: As simple as ever…**

**Shou: Good job falling into that trap…**

**Mion: Well Higuchi just dug his own grave.**

**Jiro: R-Rie?! That thing's definitely not Rie! *pointing to an imitation of a long-haired ghost***

**Ome: Woah… That sure would give Kanon a run for her money when it comes to imitating scary people…**

**Steve: That was what you were impressed with? *face-palm***

**~~~~~~~~Even when the weather is freezing outside, the warmth you share with someone you love will overpower the climate. That's proof of sweet youth~~~~~~~~**


End file.
